Ensnared
by Hazeljv
Summary: After Ed, Al and Scar are thrown into Quantico and Scar kills a hooker, the brothers are brought into custody as witnesses and it all goes downhill from there. Can they find a way to get back to Amestris before Scar finds them? Maybe.
1. I

**Hey there. **

**For those of you who don't know, I had this idea to post the first chapters of some stories I've been working on, just to see if people actually like them (because I'm currently only working on one story, and I feel like I don't have enough variety to keep me motivated).**

**I've had this one in the works for a few months, and I think I'm finally content enough with it to post it on a purely trial basis. Although, as I write this A/N, I have yet to think of a title for this... Oh well.**

**Anyway, here we are. I think I'll accept some OCs for this, just to make it interesting. More information on that at the end. **

**So, I hope you enjoy. And thank you to anyone who actually reads my rambling A/N. I love you guys the best. :)**

Chapter One

"Lindsay Gardner, age twenty-seven, found murdered in an alley last night in Quantico. She was a prostitute, who often worked in the area where she was found." JJ paused as Garcia brought up another image next to a picture of a pretty redhead on the projector screen. The same woman was in a crumpled heap on the ground. The wall behind her was covered in blood. "The coroner said that... Her head had been blown up from the inside." Another picture, this one of the back of the woman's skull, which was completely destroyed.

"But... How would that happen?" Morgan asked, frowning. JJ shrugged, looking green.

"The police suggested a bullet hitting the side of her head... Or maybe entering through her mouth..." She said. Everyone in the room looked sceptical.

"No bullet I know of would do that." Rossi commented. The other BAU members nodded in agreement.

"The Quantico PD brought in the people who found the body for questioning, they are waiting for us to get there first." Garcia informed them, taking down the pictures of Lindsay.

"Who are they?" Hotch asked. Garcia frowned and brought up two pictures on the screen. The first was a short boy with long golden hair in a braid and matching eyes, and the second was a slightly taller boy with long slightly darker gold hair and the same gold eyes.

"They're just kids." Morgan said, his brow furrowing. Garcia nodded.

"Edward and Alphonse Hohenheim. Edward is sixteen, Alphonse is fifteen. That is the only information the police could get out of them. Those two are completely off the grid. No birth records, no medical records, no school records. Absolutely. Nothing. It's like they fell out of the sky!" She ranted, throwing her hands in the air.

"Nothing?" Emily repeated, shocked.

"Not. A. Thing." Garcia said, frustrated.

"Alright. The jet will pick us up in and hour. Garcia, while we're gone, look for information on the Hohenheim brothers. Anything you can find. Also see if any murders like this have occurred before." Morgan said. Garcia nodded and packed up her laptop, going back to her office.

...

"This is such a waste of time..." Edward growled quietly. He and Alphonse sat side by side at the table in the small interrogation room, sitting perfectly still. Both looked perfectly calm, but if one were to look close at Edward's eyes, they would see anger and impatience.

Edward wore black pants, and a black shirt under a black jacket. His red coat was nowhere to be seen and his hair had broken free of it's usual braid. Alphonse wore the same thing (an extra of clothes that Edward had been carrying), but the clothes hung off his skeletal frame.

"Please relax, Brother. We have no idea what we're up against." Alphonse replied, equally as quiet. Edward sighed, clenching his gloved fists.

"We should be tracking down Scar." He murmured, gritting his teeth. Alphonse nodded slightly.

"I know. But we just have to wait. As long as this goes smoothly, they should let us go." He reassured the other blond.

...

"What strange looking kids..." Prentiss murmured, watching the Elric brothers through the two-way mirror. "Look at the older one's posture. He looks annoyed, and he has a every dignified air about him."

"The younger one seems completely loyal his brother, and he's very calm." Rossi commented.

"Reid, Prentiss, you two talk to them." Hotch demanded, handing two glasses of water to Prentiss. Reid and Prentiss nodded, opening the door of the interrogation room and sitting across from the brothers. Edward fixed an irritated gaze on them, while Alphonse smiled uneasily.

"Hello. I'm Doctor Spencer Reid and this is Agent Emily Prentiss." Reid introduced, holding out his hand to Edward. Edward slowly shook his hand, very aware of how hard his metallic hand must have felt.

"Edward Hohenheim. This is my younger brother, Alphonse." Edward said stiffly, watching Reid warily as he shook Alphonse's hand.

"How are you two feeling?" Prentiss asked, handing each of the blonds a glass of water. Edward eyed the water carefully before gingerly sipping it. Alphonse paused, watching Edward for a moment, before taking a sip of his own water. Edward then set his glass down and rolled his eyes at Prentiss' question.

"Just great. Where the hell are we, anyway?" Edward questioned, raising a daring eyebrow at the FBI officers across from him. Reid and Emily exchanged a surprised glance.

"Uh... Quantico, Virginia..." Reid said slowly. Edward's eyes widened, as if in recognition, and Alphonse followed suit, feigning relief.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. Pretty big city." Edward commented lightly. Reid and Prentiss exchanged sceptical glances.

"Where are your parents?" Prentiss asked gently, trying to coax the teens into a sense of security.

"Gone. Our Mom's dead and our Dad's MIA." Edward stated coldly, glaring at the adults.

"What's your father's name? We could track him down." Reid said. Both Elrics shook their heads.

"His name is Van Hohenheim, but you won't find him." Alphonse said quietly.

"Besides, we don't need that bastard, we can take care of ourselves." Edward added, his tone dripping venom. Reid and Prentiss looked shocked for a moment, but quickly regained neutral looks.

"Okay... So how did you find the body?" Prentiss asked. Both brothers' faces darkened.

"We were chasing Scar, and he killed that girl." Edward clenched his fists. "If we had just arrived a minute sooner..." Alphonse's eyes were full of guilt.

"It's not your fault, Brother... If I had woken up sooner..." He murmured. Edward shook his head.

"What do you mean, 'woken up sooner'?" Reid asked. The Elrics exchanged a quick glance.

"We were fighting Scar, and he knocked out Al then ran. I waited for Al to wake up before following Scar, and he killed that girl." Edward said, straightening his shoulders. The lie rolled off his tongue easily. In reality, they had somehow ended up on this side of the gate and it took a while for them to wake up after. By the time Alphonse had woken up (surprisingly, in his own body), Scar had already killed the girl.

"Oh..." Prentiss murmured, her eyes softening as she watched the brothers. Alphonse gripped Edward's left hand tightly, as if he had forgotten the feeling of flesh and bone. The younger Elric looked a lot less healthy, the agents noticed. Edward was about 5 foot 5, muscular, tanned and overall tough. Alphonse, on the other hand, was an inch or two taller than his brother, very thin, pale, and overall very frail looking. Like he had spent the last few years in a cave or something while his brother had been in the sun.

"Don't look at us like that. We don't need your pity, we've seen death before." Edward snapped, glaring at Prentiss, who looked slightly taken aback. Alphonse frowned and squeezed his brother's hand.

"Edward." Alphonse's tone was one of gentle warning. Reid was reminded of the way a mother wolf nipped the scruff of a misbehaving pup.

"Do you two want anything to eat?" Reid asked. Edward, who had turned his head to glare at the wall, turned back and looked levelly at the BAU agents, his mood turning neutral at the drop of a hat.

"Yes, that'd be good." Edward said slowly, his golden gaze flickering to Alphonse and then back at the BAU team. The flash of worry in his eyes wasn't lost on Prentiss.

"Would pizza be okay? We can have it delivered in less than an hour." She said, watching Edward with slight curiosity.

"Uh... Yes. That's fine, thank you." Alphonse spoke up, smiling at the agents kindly. Prentiss smiled back and stood.

"Alright. We'll be back in a little while. Our supervisor might want to talk to you two." She said as Reid stood as well.

"Great." Edward deadpanned, letting his forehead drop onto the table with a dull thud. Alphonse rolled his eyes at Edward and stood, walking behind his brother.

"What are you doing, Al?" Edward asked, craning his neck around to look at Alphonse. Alphonse's answer was holding an elastic band between his teeth and jerking Edward's head around, combing through his hair and braiding it.

"You 'ook 'ike a home'ess person, Bro'her." Alphonse muttered through his teeth. Edward huffed, crossing his arms.

"You're one to talk, Al. If a butterfly landed on your shoulder, you'd probably fall to pieces." Edward retorted. They both laughed at that, some sort of ironic humour breaking the tension they had been feeling since toppling (quite literally) into this strange futuristic world.

"Do you know what a 'peezza' is, Brother?" Alphonse asked, taking the elastic from between his teeth and twisting it around the braid. Edward shrugged.

"Not a clue. Some kind of food, I guess. Here, we'll have to find some scissors later." He gestured to the chair beside him and took out another elastic. Alphonse sat and waited patiently while Edward combed through some harsh tangles and then put his hair in a simple pony tail.

...

"Weird kids." Rossi commented as he, Hotch, Morgan and JJ watched the Elrics.

"I don't think I've ever seen siblings so close before." JJ said, smiling slightly.

"Rossi, Morgan, you can finish interrogating them. I want a little more information on them before I talk to them." Hotch said watching the golden haired brothers with a calculating gaze.

"Alright, come on, Morgan." Rossi said, walking into the room. Immediately, the Elrics stopped talking and turned to watch Morgan and Rossi. Both brothers stood and shook the older mens' hands before sitting again.

"I'm David Rossi, and this is Derek Morgan." Rossi introduced. The Elrics exchanged a glance and then looked back at the men.

"I'm Alphonse Hohenheim. This is my older brother, Edward." Alphonse introduced them while Edward sat back, evaluating their current company.

"So, what do you two want?" Edward asked, raising one eyebrow.

"We just want to talk." Morgan said. Edward snorted.

"Sure you do. You want to know about Scar, right? He's a cold-blooded murderer who says he's doing 'God's will' and a bunch of bullshit like that to justify killing." Edward growled the last sentence, clenching his right fist around his water, shattering the glass cup. Morgan and Rossi looked shocked, but Edward just shook his hand, annoyed that his glove had gotten wet. Alphonse squeaked in surprise.

"Brother! Are you okay?" He asked, alarmed. Edward just nodded, still annoyed. Satisfied, Alphonse turned to Rossi and Morgan. "Sorry about that, my brother has a short temper." He apologized with a sheepish smile while Edward grumbled something angrily about 'not being short'. The profilers exchanged a surprised glance.

"Uh... No problem." Morgan said slowly. Rossi was ignoring them, watching Edward intensely. Edward stared back at Rossi, quirking an eyebrow.

"What are you staring at?" He grumbled. Alphonse elbowed him. Edward shot his brother a glare. Rossi's gaze continued to burn into the elder Elric.

"You're sure your hand isn't bleeding? You crushed that glass." Rossi said suddenly. A tiny shock of something close to panic lit up Edward's eyes, but it was gone too fast for Rossi to identify. Alphonse frowned and looked between Rossi and Edward, worried.

"No. I'm fine. These gloves are thick." Edward's lie was smooth, flawless. Or so it seemed. Rossi's eyes flashed.

"Hey, why are you wearing gloves anyway? It's summer." Morgan mused. Edward scowled.

"None of your damn business." He grunted. Alphonse elbowed him again.

"Brother!" He hissed. "Don't be so rude." Edward rolled his eyes.

"They're interrogating us, Al, I'll act however the hell I wa- OW!" Edward cut himself off with a yelp as Alphonse jammed his elbow into his ribs for a third time, a lot harder then before. "Geez, Al, your elbows are bony." Edward moaned, clutching his side. Alphonse crossed his arms.

"You deserve it. Stop being such a jerk." He retorted. Edward sighed, but a faint smile pulled at his lips.

"Sorry Al." He muttered. Alphonse glanced at his brother and his irritation melted away.

"Good." Was all he said. Rossi and Morgan watched the brothers, confused and more then a little suspicious.

"Alright, that will do. Someone will be in with food shortly." Rossi said, standing. Morgan also stood, his gaze lingering on the brothers. Alphonse looked relieved, but Edward looked angry.

"So we can't leave?" He asked, his voice carefully measured, although there was a sharp edge to it.

"Not yet. You're key witnesses in a murder investigation. Besides, we can't let minors go without their parents. Either your parents or guardians show up, or we make arrangements for you." Rossi explained. Edward stood abruptly, looking livid. Alphonse quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his chair.

"That's fine. Thank you." Alphonse said quickly, clapping a hand over Edward's mouth when he opened it to protest. The two agents walked out. Alphonse dropped his hand, leaning back in his chair.

"Al... Are you okay?" Edward asked, furrowing his brow. Alphonse looked exhausted, his skin pasty, his eyes shadowed and his face drawn. But he just shrugged lightly.

"I'm okay, it's just been a while, you know?" He said. Edward nodded. They both knew what he meant, but the people listening didn't. Alphonse sighed and looked at Edward.

"Ed, what are we going to do?" He asked helplessly. Edward sighed as well, resting his chin in his flesh palm.

"I don't know, Al. We can't let these people stick us with some random family, or worse. We need to get back..." He murmured. Alphonse sunk further into his chair, his eyes drooping. Edward glanced at him and smiled slightly. "Get some sleep, Al. Like you said, it's been a while."

**... Yeah, that's it. I don't really know where I'm going with this, but I write best on my feet, so I hope this works out.**

**So. OCs. Here are people I need at the moment:**

**-A neighbour of Reid (preferably female and young, preferably a science major/PhD).**

**-An ally for Scar (some sort of serial killer/criminal. Male or Female).**

**-A few homicide detectives (mixed genders and ages).**

**So, that's all for now. Thank you for reading. Let me know what you think. **

**-Hazeljv**


	2. II

**So, some of you may noticed that I changed the location from New York City to Quantico. This is because I wanted the Elrics to stay with Reid (and me, being a hopeless Canadian, had no idea how far apart New York and Virginia were until I looked it up). So yes, that is why. Truthfully, it's doesn't matter to me. I know no more about New York City than I do Quantico. Seriously, no clue whatsoever. **

**Also, I'd just like to say, I'm pretty proud of the flashback in this chapter. I think I did a good job (I HOPE I did a good job), so I hope you like it too. (And sorry it gets kind of suck-ish after the flashback, I finished it and I was like: "... Oh shit, what do I do now?")**

**So, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy. :)**

Chapter Two

"_**And many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all. They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience, never troubling to wonder how it would feel to have been born other than they are. They can refuse to hear screams or to peer inside cages; they can close their minds and hearts to any suffering that does not touch them personally; they can refuse to know. I might be tempted to envy people who can live that way, except that I do not think they have any fewer nightmares than I do." ~J.K. Rowling**_

"Teenagers always look much younger when they're sleeping..." JJ. whispered, watching the Elrics, mainly Alphonse. There was a murmur of agreement from the other agents as Prentiss walked in with a pizza, closely followed by Reid, who had two cans of orange pop. Behind the glass Alphonse started awake.

"_Brother!_" Alphonse's cry was quickly shushed by Edward, whose eyes were wide with concern. The agents fell silent and watched the brothers with interest. Alphonse hugged Edward tightly, looking terrified.

"It's okay, Al." Edward whispered, rubbing circles on the younger blond's back with his left hand, He didn't have to ask what the nightmare had been about. He had had enough of them in the years after the... _incident._ In fact, he still got them every once in a while. Edward's automail fist clenched and a pang went through his chest. What good was he if he couldn't protect his brother from something as small as the nightmares?

Oh god, the _nightmares_...

"S-Sorry, Brother..." Alphonse muttered, sniffing slightly. Edward sighed quietly, mentally punching himself in the face. With his metal arm. Alphonse didn't deserve this. He'd lost his body, wasn't that enough?

No. It was never enough for Truth. Nothing was ever enough.

"Don't apologize." Edward's voice was sharp, but it quickly softened. "I remember the nightmares." Alphonse froze, blinking away tears.

_Oh god, the nightmares_.

_**-Flashback-**_

_It was only about two weeks after they had tried human transmutation. Ed was still recovering, having lost an arm and a leg. Alphonse sat in the corner of the hospital-like room in the Rockbell home well after midnight, watching his brother's chest rise and fall. _

_Rise. Fall. Breathe in. Breathe out._

_It had become a habit of his, just watching his brother's breathing. It passed the time._

_And if Edward was breathing, he wasn't dead. That was all that mattered. Alphonse had already lost his body, if he lost Edward... He refused to think about that. Edward was too strong to die. _

_Breathe in. Breath Out. Rise. Fall. Breath in. Breath out. Rise. Fall. Breathe- Wait! Edward's breathing hitched. He began thrashing under the thin white sheets on the bed. A few ragged sobs ripped through the silence of the night. _

"_Alphonse! NO! AL!" Edward's eyes snapped open and Alphonse saw unshed tears glittering in them. He got up, clattering slightly -unused to the huge, lumbering armour- and walked over to Edward._

"_Brother?" He whispered. Edward's eyes trained on him and another sob ripped from his throat as he grabbed one of Alphonse's giant hands in his lone, frail one and pulled himself into a sitting position, tears falling freely from his eyes. Alphonse just watched him, speechless. He had never seen his brother so weak. Even on the night of the transmutation, he had been strong. Even after losing his leg and his brother, he gave up his arm to retrieve Alphonse's soul. It hurt Alphonse to seen his brother so broken. He owed Edward everything. "A-Al... I'm so s-sorry..." Edward whispered, his body shaking with sobs._

"_B-Brother..." Alphonse stammered, shocked. He would never tell Edward this, but he looked so small at that moment. He had already been kind of short for his age, and now without two of his limbs... Well, it didn't help._

"_I'm s-sorry, I was so s-stupid... I shouldn't have ignored the l-laws... And n-now..." Edward choked on his sobs and trailed off. Alphonse lightly ran one of his massive palms over the top of Edward's head, scared he would accidentally hurt the short blonde with his large metallic body._

"_Ed... What's wrong?" Alphonse asked as Edward began to calm down, his sobs slowly fading to silent tears._

"_I saw **that t-thing **we made... I saw everything from **t-that n-night**..." He whispered. Alphonse wanted more than anything to comfort his brother. To be able to feel like he could before. He cursed his armoured body. But at the same time... He relished it. He couldn't sleep, so he couldn't experience these kind of nightmares. In more than one way, this body kept him safe._

"_Ed..." But Alphonse did not know what else to say. There was nothing else to say. _

_So he stood there. He just stood there until Edward slowly eased back so he was laying down again. Until he slowly drifted into an uneasy sleep. And only then did he go back to the corner of the room and slowly sit down. Then he continued watching, keeping his silent vigil. Keeping his brother safe. It was the least he could do._

_Rise. Fall. Breathe in. Breathe out. _

_They both silently agreed to never speak of the nightmares again._

_**-End Flashback-**_

Both Elrics jumped when Prentiss and Reid walked in and placed the food on the table. Alphonse slowly pried himself off of Edward and rubbed his eyes, half because he was tired, and half to rid his eyes of the unshed tears.

"Are you two okay?" Reid asked, glancing between the brothers slowly. "You look... sad." Edward's eyes hardened and he crossed his arms with a huff.

"What are you talking about?" He grumbled. Alphonse chuckled, despite himself, earning a half-hearted glare from Edward.

"Okay... Anyway, here's some pizza. If you need anything, just knock on the door. Our supervisor will be in about half an hour from now." Prentiss said. Edward's brow furrowed.

"You mean, we haven't talked to this 'supervisor' yet? Feels like we've talked to everyone in the damn building..." He grumbled. Prentiss and Reid both repressed snickers at his impatience.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to leave soon." Reid said, smiling kindly at the brothers. Alphonse smiled brightly back, and even Edward cracked a tiny smile. Once the profilers were gone Edward carefully opened the pizza box.

"... What is this?" Alphonse wondered quietly. Edward shrugged and picked up a slice, looking at it.

"Looks like bread, tomato sauce and cheese." He took a bite. "Yep. It's actually pretty good..." Edward practically inhaled the rest of the pizza slice. Alphonse laughed and also tried the pizza. Edward's eyes grew slightly sad.

"Not exactly the kind of thing I was hoping you could have when you first got back to normal..." He whispered. Alphonse smiled ruefully.

"Don't worry about it, Ed. I'm just happy to _be_ 'back to normal'." He replied. Edward shrugged.

"Fair enough." He smiled. Alphonse smiled back.

"... Seriously... These kids are strange. It's like they speak in code. What do they mean by 'back to normal'?" Garcia wondered. The others shrugged. Hotch frowned and continued to watch the Elrics.

"Garcia, search for families where a father is gone, a mother died of illness and their children disappeared before being placed into foster care." He said suddenly.

"Uh... Why, sir?" Garcia asked, typing feverishly on her computer.

"I have a feeling these kids aren't who they say they are." Hotch replied. Garcia nodded.

"There are seventeen matches." She said. Hotch nodded, thoughtful.

"Narrow it down to cases in the past four years." He commanded. Garcia typed something into her laptop quickly.

"Eight cases." She stated. Hotch's frown deepened.

"Cases in Quantico?" He asked. Garcia paused.

"One." Everyone looked at the Technical Analyst. "Jeremy and Daniel Jones, their mother died of cancer in 2005, and their father was in the army. He went to Iraq in 1999 and was never seen again. Jeremy and Daniel disappeared after calling in their mother's death." Two pictures appeared on the computer. Two boys with brown hair and green eyes. They had similar facial structure and body types to the Elrics, but they certainly didn't look overly alike.

"They don't really look alike..." Prentiss commented. Garcia nodded.

"Not really." She agreed. "Sorry Hotch, I guess I've got nothing for you." Hotch stared intently at the pictures of the Jones Brothers, and then the Elric brothers.

"Could They be the same people? They could have dyed their hair and gotten coloured contacts. Can you see if the facial structures match?" Hotch asked. Garcia frowned.

"Sir, these pictures of the Jones' are almost six years old, it will be almost impossible to-" She began. Hotch held up a hand as he put an ear piece in his right ear.

"I know you can make it happen, Garcia. Let me know when you do. JJ., come with me." And with that, Hotch was in the room with the Elrics. JJ. paused, looking slightly surprised before following Hotch. Edward and Alphonse immediately fell silent, watching the profilers.

"So, you're the guy in charge here?" Edward asked, warily looking at Hotch. Hotch nodded, sitting down. JJ. quickly followed suit. Alphonse's attention was on JJ. She seemed nicer and safer then Hotch. Maternal. The look in her eyes reminded him of Trisha.

"That's correct. My name is Aaron Hotchner. This is Jennifer Jareau." Hotch said, gesturing shortly to JJ., who smiled at the brothers. Edward glanced at her and quickly turned to scowl at the wall. Alphonse smiled ever-so-slightly. She reminded Edward of their mother too, Alphonse could tell.

"Nice to meet you. Sorry about my brother, it's been a long day." Alphonse greeted, smiling sweetly at the adults.

"Not a problem." JJ. replied, smiling kindly back at the younger Elric. Edward turned his head back ever-so-slightly and his lips twitched, a small smile cracking his irritation. Hotch noticed his, took a mental note, and carefully filed it away for later use. Garcia's voice came through his ear piece.

"No go on the facial structures, they are similar, but no dice. Sorry Hotch." Hotch sighed mentally. There went their only lead on the brothers.

"So, you two are completely sure this 'Scar' man killed Lindsay Gardner?" Hotch asked, getting back to business. Edward turned around fully and straightened up, looking a little paler than before.

"Positive. We know Scar's signature well." He said quietly, sadness flashing through his eyes. Alphonse's gaze dropped to the table, a small, miserable frown marring his gentle face.

"What do you mean?" Hotch's eyebrows rose slightly.

"He killed a friend of ours." Alphonse murmured. Hotch and JJ. exchanged a glance.

"Who was your friend?" JJ. asked softly. She expected Alphonse to answer, but Edward surprised her.

"Nina Tucker." Edward's gaze pierced JJ. with such intensity that she flinched slightly. "She was only four." Both Hotch and JJ. winced at the news. After all, they were parents. They had young children.

"Four?" JJ.'s voice wobbled slightly. Edward sighed sorrowfully, nodding, and exchanged a quick glance with Alphonse.

'_The blond woman, Jennifer, has children... No, one child_.' Edward thought, looking at JJ. '_So does the older man, Hotchner or something. People without kids don't react as strongly as people who do._' The door opened, surprising them all, and Garcia poked her head in. Alphonse and Edward stared at the eccentric woman.

"Hotch?" She asked, frowning. Hotch raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, Garcia? What is it?" He asked.

"Uh... the police have found three more people dead..." Garcia said. Hotch's usual scowl deepened. Edward growled lowly.

"Why the hell are you wasting time talking to us when Scar's off killing people? You have no reason to keep us here. Way don't you go find _him_!" He half-yelled, standing and slamming his left hand onto the table. Hotch stood and JJ. quickly followed suit. Hotch's stern gaze met Edward's furious one.

"Sit down." Was all Hotch said before leading JJ. out. Edward let out a loud growl of frustration and sat down again, his muscles coiled like a lion about to pounce. He resisted the urge to chuck his chair at the two-way mirror.

"Brother, please calm down..." Alphonse pleaded, gripping Edward's upper arm tightly. Edward took one glance at his younger brother's face and relaxed slightly.

"This is so frustrating! If they don't find Scar then I'll break out of here and find him myself!" Edward growled. Alphonse sighed.

"Ed, don't be ridiculous. Let the police here handle it." He said soothingly. Edward shook his head.

"You know as well as I do that they have no idea what they're up against." Edward's voice lowered. "I think they don't even use alchemy here."

"But, Brother-" Edward cut Alphonse off.

"We're the only ones who can stop Scar. We have to fight fire with fire, or rather, alchemy with alchemy." Edward's voice was impossibly calm, impossibly mature.

"Brother, we aren't strong enough to take on Scar! Last time we fought him we only got away alive because we got dumped here." Alphonse argued, his voice rising slightly.

"Don't argue with me, Al, I've made up my mind. I'll kill Scar and then we can-"

"What do you mean, you will kill Scar? You're not seriously thinking about doing this alone... Are you _insane_?" Alphonse murmured angrily. It was a cold day in hell when Alphonse was angry and Edward was the calm one.

"Al, you're in no condition to..." At that moment the door opened and Hotch walked in. Both Elrics stood, watching the man apprehensively.

"Come with me."

...

"Where the _hell_ am I? And where the hell is Fullmetal?" Scar hissed to himself, looking around. He stood in a rather filthy alleyway beside the body of a man who looked like he had not showered in a year. Scar looked at the body and sighed.

He hadn't wanted to kill the man, or the first two women, but they were getting in his way and asking questions. It was necessary, or that's what he told himself. Scar would never admit it, but the odd futuristic world scared him. That's why he stuck to the alleys. They looked the same as the ones in Amestris, nearly one hundred years in the past.

"_Oh my god!_" A woman's voice shrieked. Another woman (maybe not even a woman, practically a girl) had rounded the corner of the alley. Scar looked at her. Why did the women -or at least the ones he had seen- in this world where such revealing clothing? He sighed and walked over to the girl, who was frozen in fear.

'_How unnecessary...' _Scar mused, putting his hand on the girl's forehead.

A scream echoed through the alley.

Blood splattered the wall.

Scar dropped the lifeless body and tugged his tattered jacket closer around himself. Footsteps echoed from the opposite end of the alley.

It was time to move on.

...

"You'll be staying with Reid until we catch Scar." Edward opened his mouth, probably to complain. "No arguments. Behave." And with that Hotch walked out of his office, leaving the Elrics with Reid.

"So... Uh... Let's go, then." Reid said, uncomfortably. Alphonse nodded and smiled encouragingly. Edward sighed.

"Sure. Why the hell not." He relented. Alphonse snickered. Reid took this as a good sign and lead the Elrics out of the building and over to his car. The brothers sat in the back and began talking quietly. Reid started the car turned on a rock radio station at a quiet volume. He had a feeling that at least Edward liked rock music.

To say the drive to Reid's house was awkward would be a colossal understatement. Well, it was awkward for Reid, at the very least.

"Here we are." Reid said as he parked beside a small apartment building. He quickly led the brothers to the third floor. He stopped in front of room 33 and unlocked the door, ushering the brothers inside, shutting and locking the door behind them. "It's late, you should get some sleep..." Reid looked at Edward and Alphonse's clothes. "Uh... We can go shopping tomorrow, I think I have something that might fit you both." Reid murmured, disappearing down the hallway. The Elric brothers trailed behind him, looking around the neat apartment curiously.

"It's so... Organized." Alphonse whispered to Edward as they looked around. Everything in the apartment seemed to have a place. A _very_ specific place.

"Here you go." Reid said, closing a closet door with some clothes tucked under his arm. "Follow me." Reid led them to the end of the hallway and into a bedroom on the left. The room was simple, cream coloured walls, beige carpet, a queen sized bed with light blue sheets, a dresser, a tiny closet, a small attached bathroom a night stand and a desk with a chair. Reid set the clothes on the bed. "Sorry if they're a little big." Alphonse smiled.

"Thank you, Doctor Reid." He said kindly. Reid smiled back.

"You can call me Spencer. Anyway, there's a shower and towels in the bathroom. If you need anything, I'll be in the living room until about midnight and my room is right across the hall. Goodnight." Reid gave a small wave and walked out.

An hour later, just after nine o'clock both Edward and Alphonse were clean and tucked into bed, fast asleep. Reid paused at the door as he passed with a stack of books and squinted into the dark room before smiling and shutting the door.

The Elric brothers slept deeply and peacefully that night. Their were no nightmares. There was only rest.

... Until they were woken up at six in the morning by an explosion.

**Fin.**

**Like I said at the beginning, I hope you liked it. I know it probably isn't as good as the first chapter, but I still think it's at least okay. **

**Let me know what you thought of our first little look at Scar. I was trying to make him the villain, but without making him pure evil... I don't think it turned out too well... ^^;**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you're all so nice and I love you guys (in a not creepy way, I swear)! Also, thank you to everyone who Story Alerted/Favourited (there were so many of you, I was shocked)!**

**Also, thank you to those who sent in OCs. I could still use a sociopath/psychopath to team up with Scar, if you please. *And there is now a OC form on my profile***

**Until next chapter,**

**Hazeljv.**


	3. III

**Hey all. Sorry this one took a while, but I've gotten so many wonderful reviews and it makes me nervous that I'll post a piece of shit and everyone will hate me. .**

**Although, I suppose the extra pressure is good, as it forces me to try to produce my best work. **

**On another note, this will probably be the last update (for this story, at least) for a long time. Because I'm going to Scotland on July 8th (Friday, oh my Dumbledore, I am so excited!), until the 23rd, I believe. **

**So yeah. I won't have a lot of time to write. However, if I can use my laptop on the plane, then I might be able to finish at least part of a chapter (because the flight is 7 hours long). But the flight is from 7 pm-2 am (my time), so my parents want me to sleep. -.-**

**Sorry about that. But since I will not be updating much in the next month, I will take some one-shot requests (if anyone happens to want a one-shot. I'll have a list of categories and pairings I'm willing to do on my profile).**

**I believe that's all. I hope everyone has a lovely time **

Chapter Three

Edward and Alphonse bolted upright as the room shook. They heard Reid fumbling around in his room and then his footsteps running down the hall.

"What was that?" Alphonse asked as the brothers hopped out of bed. Edward shrugged as he pulled on his gloves, a black button-up shirt and slightly baggy jeans. Alphonse put on a baggy blue t-shirt and beige slacks.

"Come on." Edward said, running from the room with Alphonse at his heels. They flew out the open front door, nearly running straight into Reid and a strawberry blond woman with blue eyes, who was covered in soot.

"I'm so sorry!" The woman exclaimed, dusting off her Harvard sweatshirt and faded jeans. Reid just sighed, chuckling slightly.

"It's fine, Olivia." He replied, glancing behind the woman at the door to her apartment. "I won't even ask what you were doing." Olivia grinned.

"Just another little experiment." She said before finally noticing the Elrics. "Who're they?" She asked, not taking her eyes off the blonds.

"...Eli and Adam Hensley, they are key witnesses in a murder investigation. They don't have any parents, so they are staying with me." Reid explained. Edward frowned at the aliases but neither brother said anything as they shook the hand Olivia eagerly offered them.

"Hey there! I'm Olivia Dyson! Nice to meet you!" She said, grinning. "Sorry about waking you, I was mixing some elements and well... Boom." Olivia explained, making wild hand motions as she spoke. Edward resisted the urge to face-palm

'_What a rookie mistake..._' He thought. He and Alphonse exchanged a glance. Alphonse was thinking the same thing.

"It's not trouble, I'm sure Spencer has to go to work soon anyway." Alphonse said kindly. Olivia's grin grew.

"I like this kid, he's an optimist... Like me!" She exclaimed. Edward scoffed, causing the woman to squint at him. "You look like a pessimist. You know, like a glass-half-empty kind of guy."

"I'm a logic guy. I recognize you need a smaller glass." Edward replied dryly. Olivia grinned again.

"Well said. Anyway, I have to go clean up. Bye Reid! Bye Eli! Bye Adam!" She waved enthusiastically and disappeared back into her apartment. Reid turned to the Elrics.

"Come inside and finish getting ready, then we can grab some breakfast and get going." He said. Edward and Alphonse nodded and followed him inside.

"Got any scissors?" Edward asked. Reid gave him a questioning look, but grabbed a pair of scissors from the kitchen. Edward thanked him and the Elrics disappeared into their room.

Twenty minutes later they re-appeared and Alphonse's hair had been cut short. Reid looked at them curiously, but knew it wasn't his place to ask questions.

"Okay, grab whatever you want to eat and we'll head to the BAU." He said. Edward got an apple. Alphonse got an orange. "Excellent, let's go." Reid said, leading them out of the building.

...

"Well, hello there." The amused voice was silky and warm, like melted chocolate, and had a faint accent Scar couldn't place.

Scar turned slowly and looked at the woman who had spoken. She was young, only in her late twenties and very beautiful, with large ice blue eyes and inky black hair that fell to her waist. She wore a tight white leather jacket and black skinny jeans with knee-high black leather boots. She reminded him faintly of Lust.

Beside the woman stood a tall man with tanned skin, green eyes and thinning brown hair that was peppered with grey. He looked to be about forty. The man wore baggy jeans, a white shirt under a plaid flannel shirt and hiker boots.

"So, are you the new little killer we've heard _so much_ about?" The woman asked, gliding toward Scar with a smirk. Scar backed away a few steps. The woman frowned. "I'm Janet." She purred. "And this guy is GOD." She added. "What's your name, Hun?" Scar frowned at the woman warily.

"I'm known as Scar." He replied. Janet smiled and slid a little closer to him. She didn't seem to walk, but instead to float over the ground, never making a noise. It was odd. Unnerving, even.

"Well, Scar..." She purred, slinking closer to him. "Would you like to join us?" Scar paused.

"Join you?" He echoed, confused. Janet laughed a musical laugh.

"Yes, GOD and I are like you. GOD kills immoral people, mostly criminals. I prefer men. You like hookers and druggies, right? We could use someone like you." Janet's hand ran over Scar's bicep. "You seem like a strong man." Scar looked between Janet's inviting expression to GOD's stoic one for a moment.

"I guess."

...

"I don't understand why we need alliases. No one here knows us." Edward said. The Elrics sat at the table in the War Room with JJ., Reid, Morgan, Prentiss and Rossi. Garcia and Hotch were nowhere to be found. Edward and Alphonse were trying not to marvel at the pieces of technology in the room that were so odd to them.

'_The FBI agents seem used to these weird gadgets, so we should be too... Right? Yes, right. It makes sense... I think... I should just drop it, this is giving me a headache..._' Alphonse mused to himself, frowning slightly in thought.

"It's just a precaution. Besides, Scar knows you." Rossi said. Edward's fist clenched. He couldn't argue with that.

Then again, this is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist.

He could damn well try.

"You say that like Scar couldn't track us down without our names. I'm sure he'll find a way." Edward retorted. Rossi frowned at him. Alphonse sighed.

"Ed." He warned lightly. Edward looked at him.

They had a brief stare-off.

Edward frowned.

Alphonse smirked.

And Edward caved.

"Fine." He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. Alphonse smiled smugly. "Don't get used to this." Edward scowled, sulkily. Alphonse chuckled.

"I won't, Brother." He replied cheerfully. At that moment, Hotch and Garcia walked in. Hotch's face was set in grim lines. He looked ancient and worn. Garcia scurried behind him with her laptop in hand, her brow furrowed.

"I have bad news." Hotch said. Edward huffed.

"Brilliant." Hotch ignored the short blond. **(A/N: *cowers as Ed bursts through the door with an AK47* Oh dear...)**

"As you know, Scar has killed three more people. His victim count is now four. This is a large jump in victims. That means it will only get worse from here." Hotch said. The profilers looked calculating. They were obviously working the acceleration into Scar's profile.

"How can someone go from not killing anyone to killing four people in under twenty-four hours? That's a massive acceleration." Prentiss commented.

"It's odd, but not unlikely, we've seen this kind of thing before." Reid stated. Morgan shook his head.

"I don't think we've ever seen someone accelerate this much in such a short period." He argued.

"He was killing before, you just have no record of it." Edward spoke up. The room went silent. Edward fixed his gaze on Hotch. "Remember, we told you about Nina."

"How can we not have record of it? I've checked every crime database from here to Hong-Kong!" Garcia countered. Edward shrugged. He didn't know what a 'hong-kong' was, but he didn't care.

"Just trust me on this. He's been killing for at least a year now. And he won't stop until he's caught or he's dead." He said. The FBI agents all frowned. They didn't like having to go on the word of a kid who seemed to just appear out of thin air.

"Fine. Now, Edward and Alphonse, we'd like you to see a FBI sketch artist and tell him what Scar looks like. Can you do that?" Hotch asked, although from his tone it did not sound like he was asking, more like commanding. Edward was instantly reminded of Roy Mustang.

"Yeah, whatever gets us out of here soonest." Edward replied. Hotch nodded.

"Good. Follow me."

...

They approached a boy in an alley. He was jittery, probably on some kind of drug.

Janet glided to Scar's side and leaned close to his ear.

"Show us how you kill." She whispered. Scar looked at her uncertainly and then at the ever-silent GOD before walking forward. The boy didn't notice Scar until he loomed over him.

"Hey, who are-" Scar's palm pressed against the boy's forehead.

Red alchemy crackled down his arm like tiny forks of lightning.

And blood splattered the wall.

...

"No, his eyes are red, but he usually wears sunglasses." Edward said. The sketch artist, Tom, looked sceptical.

"You can't have red eyes..." He said. Edward sighed irritably.

"Well, he does. And he has a X shaped scar across his eyes, like this." Edward ran his gloved finger over the rough sketched-out face's eyes and forehead in an X shape. "It's lighter than the rest of his skin."

Tom still didn't look convinced. "Are you sure-"

"Drop the bullshit about the red eyes and finish the damn picture." Edward snapped. Tom flinched slightly and put pencil to paper. The picture didn't look much like Scar. Edward didn't care.

"His jaw is more square, and his nose is lower." Alphonse said softly, smiling encouragingly. Tom looked at the younger brother and nodded, quickly fixing the mistakes, probably fearing Edward's wrath.

'_What a pathetic man._' Edward thought, rolling his eyes. Alphonse elbowed him and gave him a look. '_Geez, I can practically hear him telling me to behave... He's taking advantage of the fact that I can't be mad at him in his own body... This better not last, I need to be able to assert my older brother authority_.'

"Is that accurate?" Tom asked, pushing the sketch toward the brothers. They both looked at it. Edward was surprised by how much it actually resembled Scar.

"Yeah, it looks almost exactly like him." Edward said. Tom looked relieved. Hotch, who had been talking to someone outside the door, walked in and looked at the sketch.

"Excellent, we'll air it on the News tonight." Hotch said. The Elric's exchanged a dumbfounded look.

"The News?" Alphonse asked, uncertainly. Hotch nodded, seeming to miss the look the Elrics had shared.

"Yes, it could be risky, but we're fairly sure that Scar isn't following the investigation, so we think it's safe." Hotch explained. The brothers nodded slowly.

'_What in the world is "The News"?_' Alphonse mused as Hotch led them back to the war room. '_Why did the Truth send us here...? I don't understand this situation at all. I don't think Ed does either, he must be so frustrated..._' Alphonse glanced at his brother through the corner of his eye before looking at the floor, frowning. Edward noticed his glance and looked at Alphonse.

"Al? You okay?" Edward asked quietly. Alphonse looked up with a start.

"Uh... Yeah, fine. Sorry, Brother." He replied quickly. A little too quickly. Edward tilted his head and watched Alphonse for a moment before looking ahead again. Alphonse would tell him what was on his mind when the time came.

'_Why, Truth, why are we here... And why did you seem so surprised?_'

_-Flashback-_

"_ALPHONSE!" It had all happened so fast. Scar appeared in front of Alphonse and before he could react, Scar's hand was through the armour's chest, an inch away from the blood seal that bound Alphonse's soul to the armour. _

_Alphonse was an inch away from death. _

"_STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" And then Edward's hands slapped the back of the armour. Scar's deconstructing alchemy was cracking a hair's breath from the blood seal, while Edward's alchemy sparked through the armour. Alphonse would later discover that even Edward didn't know what he was trying to do._

_And Alphonse's soul hung in the middle, waiting._

_Scar's fingertips touched the blood seal. Scar's and Edward's alchemy clashed and Alphonse felt like his soul was being torn apart._

_Next thing they knew, all three of them were in the endless white expanse where the Truth waited. Alphonse's soul had been shoved back into his frail body. He could hardly stand._

"_Alphonse..." Edward whispered, taking off his red jacket and handed it to Alphonse, who quickly wrapped it around his body. The door stood looming over them. Truth stood beside it._

"_The Elrics? What... Why are you here? This isn't supposed to be happening..." Truth trailed off as the doors creaked open and black and white arms stretched out, grasping at the Alchemists, pulling them toward the door. "No! This isn't right! It isn't their time yet!"_

_They had never heard Truth sound afraid, or nervous, or confused._

_They didn't know he **could** sound like that._

"_Truth! What's going on?" Edward yelled, ripping the hands off of himself and Alphonse, trying to get away._

_Scar was trying to free himself as well._

_But there were too many._

_It just wasn't possible._

_Truth watched on in shock. It was all Truth could do._

_Truth knew it was possible, but it had never happened before. It was something he had no power against, something he could not control._

_It was infuriating. _

"_I... I don't know... This wasn't supposed to happen. Not yet... Damn it!"_

_And then the hands dragged them through, and the door slammed shut._

_-End Flashback-_

'_Wait... There were white hands too... Aren't they usually just black...?_' Alphonse thought. It was all too odd, he just couldn't wrap his head around it. '_I'll ask Ed about it tonight, knowing him, he has some theories._'

"What do you think, Alphonse?" JJ. asked. Alphonse looked up, startled, to see all eyes in the room on him.

"Uh, sorry, I zoned out for a moment there. What are we talking about?" Alphonse said, smiling innocently. Edward's brow furrowed.

'_Al always pays attention... He's been acting odd today, something must be bothering him..._' He thought, putting his hand in his pocket and taking out his pocket watch. '_Hm, yeah, something. Maybe the fact that we're stuck in this weird place. The calender in Reid's house said 2011. That means that we were dumped nearly one hundred years in the future... Yeah, that must be what's bothering Al._'

"I think Scar's just scared. He's not used to such a large, busy city." Alphonse said and Edward tuned back into the conversation.

"He's probably killing people in his way. Do you have a map with the places where the bodies were found?" Edward asked. Garcia pulled up a map on her laptop and then hooked the laptop up to the projector. "The first victim was found here. The second here. The third here and the fourth here." Edward walked over to the slide and ran his left index finger over the network of streets and alleys. "He's moving east, toward the centre of the city, it appears."

"As he moves forward, their will be more people in his way, and more victims." Reid said, examining the map.

"But, where is he going?" Prentiss mused. Hotch frowned, flipping through some papers.

"That's what we have to find out."

...

"That was... incredible." Janet breathed as Scar dropped the boy's lifeless body to the ground. Scar wiped his hand absent-mindedly on his pants, slightly confused.

"Incredible?" He echoed. Janet nodded, in awe. Even GOD looked slightly impressed.

"Yes, you don't even need a weapon to kill! How do you do that?" Janet asked, leaning closer to Scar. Scar leaned back.

"It's just alchemy." He said, his brow furrowed. Janet looked confused.

"Alchemy?" She asked, then glanced at her cell phone. "We should get going, I want to make it to the North part of town before midnight."

And the trio carried on.

...

"Agent Hotchner?" A male voice asked as someone knocked on the door. Everyone turned to the man at the door. He had dark skin, slightly darker than Morgan's, soft features, black hair that went down to his shoulders and he was tall and slim.

"Oh, hello, Detective Marker. Come in." Hotch said. Marker walked in and sat in the chair beside Alphonse that Hotch gestured to. "These are our witnesses in the Scar case. Edward and Alphonse Hoenhiem. Boys, this is the head Detective on the case, Detective Michael Marker."

"Hello." Edward said, leaning past Alphonse to shake Marker's hand. Alphonse followed suit, smiling his usual kind smile.

"I'm afraid I have bad news." Marker began. The mood in the room -which had already been somber- took a nose-drive. "We've found another body."

"Where?" Edward asked, straightening up. Garcia put the map back up on the projector.

"There." Marker said, pointing at a small alley off the side of a large street.

"Wait, what?" Edward asked, blinking. "But that doesn't make sense! He was going East... Why would he suddenly start going North?" Marker shrugged.

"He killed a boy, Mike Lenard. He was sixteen, and we've brought him in once for drug abuse. The coroner confirmed Lenard was on meth when he died." He said. Garcia bought up a school picture of a thin, ash blond boy. His hair was streaked with black and blue, and his eyes were brown. Alphonse flinched. Edward glanced at him.

'_He's the same age as Ed... Could Brother ever end up like that? ... No, I'm being stupid. Ed's way too smart for that... And he's way too strong to die like that... Right? Yes. I should really __stop thinking about it._' He thought. Edward nudged him.

"Al, are you okay?" He whispered. Alphonse shrugged weakly.

"I'm fine, Brother. Don't worry about me." He said with a small, strained smile. Edward frowned and grabbed Alphonse's hand in his left hand.

'_Easier said then done._'

**Midnight in the North part of town**

"There are three on the next street. All men. I'll go in first. Wait one minute and then follow me." Janet said, giving Scar and GOD a dazzling smile and a wink before rounding the corner. GOD looked at his watch. The two could hear laughter from the street, Janet's bell-like laugh standing out from the deep chuckles of the drunken men.

After a minute GOD walked around the corner. Scar followed quickly. The men had their backs to them, Janet, who was facing them, smiled and slid closer to the tall man on the left, her hand disappearing into her jacket pocket.

GOD took the stocky man in the centre, which left Scar with the thin man on the right.

It all happened really quickly.

Janet pulled a switch blade out of her pocket and flicked it open, stabbing the tall man twelve times in the stomach and chest. The man crumpled to the ground, hacking up blood.

GOD pulled out a gun and shot the man in front of him in the back of the head, point blank. Executioner style. The man immediately dropped to the ground, dead. His misty eyes were wide with shock.

Scar hesitated slightly. These men hadn't committed any crimes that he knew of. They weren't even in his way. Scar wasn't that cold blooded.

But these two were the only help he had in the strange world he knew next to nothing about. He couldn't give that up. No matter what.

In Scar's two second pause, the man in front of him turned, his face twisted with fear. Scar took a breath and placed his hand on the man's forehead.

The last thing the man heard was the crackle of alchemy.

**I hope you guys enjoyed it. :)**

**GOD belongs to Torn Apart Paper Dinosaur.**

**Janet and Michael belong to Dangerous ().**

**Olivia belongs to Pop'n'lock7.**

**If I haven't used an OC that was sent in, they will probably be introduced later.**

**READ THIS: (because I'm sure no one actually reads the bold text XD)**

**Since I will not be updating much in the next month, I will take some one-shot requests (because I want to do some one-shots, but I can't think of any good ideas... FML), if anyone happens to want a one-shot. (I have a list of categories and pairings I'm willing to do on my profile).**

**I believe that's all. I hope everyone has a lovely time while I'm gone. And to anyone who reads Of Legend and Lies, I WILL update it before I leave... Maybe...**


	4. IV

**Not my best chapter, and it's a bit short, but hell, I'm on vacation. I DID MY BEST (Dane Cook reference, right here)! And, the Elric bonding at the beginning of the chapter is decent, if I do say so myself.**

**I'd like to thank all my reviewers and favourite/alerters. You guys make my day, even if I don't reply to most of my reviews (because I'm a lazy shit), I still love you guys.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. ANY of it. Whatever 'it' may be.**

Chapter Four

**As human beings, we are endowed with freedom of choice, and we cannot shuffle off our responsibility upon the shoulders of God or nature. We must shoulder it ourselves. It is our responsibility. ~Arnold J. Toynbee**

The Elric brothers sat on their bed in Reid's guestroom. It was well after midnight, but even Edward -who was usually a heavy sleeper- couldn't sleep.

"Brother, something isn't right. The way we came here... The way truth acted... And the white hands... Nothing makes sense!" Alphonse hissed. Edward nodded thoughtfully.

"So that's what's been bothering you all day... You're right, it is odd. I don't like it." Edward's eyes flashed. Alphonse watched the shadows play across his brother's face, growing and shrinking, morphing and blooming as cars drove by and their headlights illuminated the alley outside the window.

"Brother... Do you think it's possible that something like Truth brought us here?" Alphonse asked suddenly. Edward's brow furrowed.

"You mean... You think there is a Truth in this world that brought us here...?" Edward trailed off, and the brothers stared at each other for a while.

Then Edward smiled. A small, strained smile.

A completely fake, forced smile that would have fooled anyone but Alphonse.

"You're just reading too much into it, Al. Why would another Truth want us here? Especially Scar." He said cheerfully. Alphonse studied Edward's eyes for a moment before putting on his own false smile.

"Right. Sorry, Brother." He said, equally as cheerfully. Edward's smile faded and he frowned.

He looked so much like their father when he had on that expression.

"Don't worry about it too much, Al, really. I'll find a way to get us back to Amestris." Edward paused and lifted his left hand to gently push back Alphonse's bangs. "And I won't let you loose your body again. I swear." Alphonse looked at Edward's metallic limbs and the scars that marred Edward's collarbone. His eyes grew sad.

"We have to get you back to normal too, Brother. That automail is so hard on you." He said quietly. Edward shrugged, clenching and unclenching his automail fist.

"It's not so bad." He murmured, thinking back to their fight with Scar. "It's saved me more than once, and it's a useful weapon..." Edward's gaze pierced Alphonse, making the younger boy freeze. "Listen, Al. I don't care about getting my limbs back, as long as you have your body. In my opinion, that's equivalent." Alphonse opened his mouth to object. "No, Alphonse, don't argue. I made up my mind about this a long time ago."

"Brother..." Alphonse's face suddenly twisted in anger. "No! Stop talking like that! Stop acting like you have to stay like this!" Alphonse's thin hands gripped Edward's shirt tightly. He gave his older brother a slight shake. "I'm not a kid anymore, Ed! I can take care of myself, or I can at least _try_! You need to take care of yourself, too! You can't be worrying about me! All you do is worry about me! What about you? Do you know how _stressful_ it is for me to have to worry about you for both of us?" Alphonse paused to take a breath, his eyes burning. Edward stared at him, absolutely shocked.

"Alphonse..." He murmured. Alphonse ignored him, plowing on.

"You're so reckless and irresponsible and _stupid_! You do things without thinking and you purposely throw yourself in harm's way! You have complete disregard for your own safety and you think you have to carry the weight of the entire world on your shoulders!" Alphonse's head dropped onto Edward's left shoulder as angry tears forced themselves from his eyes. His hands loosened, but did not completely let go of Edward's shirt. His voice dropped to below a whisper, barely a breath. "But you don't need to. I've _always_ been right beside you, and I _always_ will be, Brother. We need to stick together, we're all we have. Especially here. Give me a little piece of the world, Ed. My shoulder's aren't as strong as yours are yet, but I'll get stronger. We can carry the world _together_."

Edward sat frozen as Alphonse's tears seeped through his shirt. He turned over his brother's words carefully. The bottled up emotion that had been building in Alphonse for who-knew-how-long. It was so unlike Alphonse to be angry. Or was it? Did Edward actually know his brother as well as he thought he did?

Edward finally let out a long, tired sigh and closed his eyes. A smile tugged at his lips as he put his hand on Alphonse's shaking shoulder.

"Alphonse... Thank you."

...

Detective Marker stood just inside a boundary of police tape, watching as some officers gathered the three bodies. Another officer behind him was talking to the owner of the bar across the street, the man who had discovered the bodies. Marker took a sip of his cold coffee and looked at his watch.

3:47 am.

The crime scene specialists were taking pictures of the area, the pools of blood and what not. Detective Marker wondered what he should tell the BAU.

It was weird. One of the men had been killed using Scar's M.O., but the other two were different.

One had been killed in the same fashion as the M.O. of a that the serial killer that Marker had been following recently, a woman that the press called _The Siren. _

And the last man had been killed with the same M.O. as another recent string of mission-oriented murders committed by someone the press called _The Judge._

Marker took another sip of his coffee and then threw it in a near by trash can, his nose wrinkled slightly in distaste.

_'Is it possible all these killers are working together? I've never come across something like this... I'll just ask Agent Hotchner tomorrow, I suppose.' _

_..._

The Elric brothers were awoken by another explosion the following day, this one at about seven. Again, they heard Reid hurry down the hallway and out the front door.

But this time, the brothers did not follow. They laid in bed, neither willing to move before the other. Finally, after almost five minutes, Alphonse spoke:

"I'm not sorry about what I said, Ed. And I don't take it back." He said quietly. Edward was silent for a moment. Then he chuckled.

"Good. It wouldn't mean anything if you were sorry." He turned his head and smiled at Alphonse, who looked surprised. "You're acting more and more like me all the time... Which might not be a good thing, but I like it." Alphonse stared at him for a moment and then broke into a grin.

"Thanks Brother."

Then they heard Reid's footsteps coming down the hallway. Edward carefully made sure his automail was covered as Reid knocked on the door.

"Come in, Spencer." Alphonse called, sitting up. Reid cautiously opened the door and peeked in.

"Good morning. We're leaving in about half an hour, I got two hours off this morning so we can buy you two some clothes, since I forgot yesterday. So, get dressed and I'll make some toast." Reid said, smiling. Alphonse smiled back, friendly as always.

"Thank you, Spencer. We'll be out soon."

**Twenty minutes, two showers and some cursing later...**

Edward and Alphonse walked into Reid's kitchen. Edward wore a pair of old jeans that were rolled a few times at the ankle and a long-sleeved button-up grey shirt with his normal white gloves. Alphonse wore a pair of too large light brown slacks that were secured about his hips with a black belt (which Edward had had to make an extra hole in, which had also caused Edward to accidentally stab himself in the thumb with a pair of scissors) and a too large white t-shirt.

"Toast is on the counter, there's butter, jam and peanut butter." Reid said, drinking coffee and watching the News. He gave Alphonse a wary look.

'_And Morgan used to say __**I**__ am a skinny pale kid..._' He thought, quickly looking at his coffee. Alphonse, who had noticed his look, shifted uncomfortably and followed Edward over to where the toast sat.

Edward was putting jam on a piece of toast, once he was done, he switched to another piece and put peanut butter on it. He then put both pieces on toast on a plate.

"I know you can take care of yourself, Al, but I'm your older brother." Was all Edward whispered as he handed the plate to Alphonse, who smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Brother." He said, watching Edward put peanut butter and jam on his own toast. It was silent for a moment as they all listened to the news anchor, and then the brothers sat at the table and ate their toast.

"Alright, are you two ready to go?" Reid asked, standing. The brothers nodded and Reid swept them out of the house.

...

Janet walked toward her apartment, a smirk curling her lips as she saw a talk man walking toward her from the opposite direction. The two met at the door of the apartment building and the man opened the door.

"Good morning, Janet. How was the graveyard shift at the hospital?" Marker asked with a tired smile. Janet smiled back and led the way into the building.

"Oddly quiet." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as they waited for the elevator. "Why were you out so late, Michael?" She asked, although she already knew.

"There's been a recent string of murders, I had to investigate another crime scene." Marker replied. The two stepped onto the elevator.

"Oh, was it that Scar man who's been on the News?" She asked, innocently. Marker nodded as the elevator slid to a halt. Janet stepped out after the doors opened and turned back to Marker. "Good luck, then, Michael." She smiled.

Then the doors closed between them.

...

After two hours, Edward had five red shirts, three pairs of dark jeans, and a black leather jacket. He refused to buy shoes, saying he'd wear his boots.

Alphonse had six different coloured shirts, three jeans of varying shades of blue, a white sweater with a black, red, blue and green paint-splatter design and a pair of sneakers.

Reid took them back to his apartment and had them change. Alphonse wore a blue shirt, his white sweater, light blue jeans and his sneakers. Edward wore a red shirt with "JUST DO IT" in bold black letters on the front (Edward didn't know what that meant, but he liked it), black jeans, his leather jacket, his boots and his gloves.

"Excellent, let's go." Reid said once they reappeared in the living room. The brothers followed him out and they drove to the police station in silence.

The police station was chaotic. The phones were ringing endlessly, and people were dashing around.

"What is going on?" Reid asked as they walked into the conference room the BAU team had taken over.

"Three more people were killed. But only one of them was killed by Scar. It seems like everyone in the city has a 'tip' about the murders." Morgan explained. The Elric Brothers exchanged a worried glance.

"We're worried Scar has teamed up with two other known serial killers, _The Siren_ and _The Judge_." Prentiss said. Both brothers paled. Reid frowned.

"Do you think Scar would team up with other killers?" Hotch asked, looking at Edward and Alphonse. They looked at each other again.

"Yes." They answered in unison. The profilers didn't seem to like their reply. Rossi's brow furrowed.

"You're sure?" He said. Edward nodded.

"He's new to this area, he'll want any help he can get, I'm sure." He said with conviction. Hotch sighed.

"I was worried you would say something like that."

...

Janet walked into her apartment just as Scar hopped through the window. GOD was already sitting in an armchair.

"It seems that our little outing last night attracted a little more attention than I wanted." Janet said, sitting on an office chair and gesturing Scar towards the couch. Scar sat cautiously. "Oh well, no matter." Her gaze pierced Scar. "However, those children that you failed to kill may be a problem, if they are working with the police." Scar looked at her sharply.

"You think Fullmetal is working with the police?" He asked. Janet nodded, filing her red painted nails.

"Probably. We should find and eliminate them as soon as possible. We will kill no one else until those boys are dead..." Janet smirked. "Hell, the lead detective on your case lives in this building. We can get rid of him too."

**So, yeah, that's it. I know, "HAZEL, WTF IS THIS SHIT?" Shut up, you. I DID MY BEST! ... Okay, maybe not my BEST, but whatever. **

**Anyway, I am officially NOT accepting OCs anymore, however, I am (or have already) started a new next generation Harry Potter story, which I need OCs for. (Shameless self-promotion, I has it)**


	5. V

**Not much to say. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. :)**

**Axiom (ak-see-_uh'm_): **

**Definition 1: A self-evident truth that requires no proof.**

**Definition 2: A universally accepted principle or rule.**

**Disclaimer: You know I don't own it.**

Chapter Five

**Oh no. It costs a lot more than your life. To murder innocent people? It costs everything you are. ~Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins**

"Come on, Al." Edward whispered, pulling his brother out of the conference room and down a narrow hallway. At the end of the hall was an alarmed door.

"Ed, where are we going?" Alphonse asked as he was dragged into a supply room. Edward grinned and turned on the light before walking over to a wall.

"We need to figure out if we can use Alchemy here." He stated simply, clapping his hands and pressing them to the wall. There was a slight crackle, but nothing happened.

"Maybe we need to use circles here." Alphonse suggested. Edward nodded and pulled out some chalk. "Where did you get that, Brother?"

"I always carry some, remember, I just haven't had to use it in a while." Edward said, drawing a perfect circle on the wall. Alphonse nodded, he had forgotten. Edward was always prepared. "Alright, here we go..." Edward pressed his palms to the wall. Blue alchemy forked across the wall like lightning and a large, extravagant door appeared. Alphonse rolled his eyes, Edward never did anything half-assed.

"So we can use alchemy." Alphonse murmured. Edward grinned and opened the door.

"Let's go." He said, stepping out into the alley beyond. Alphonse grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Hold it, Ed. Where are we going?" He asked uncertainly. Edward turned to look at him.

"We need to track down Scar. These people have no idea what they're doing. If any of these police officers manage to find Scar, they'll only get themselves killed." Edward sighed. "Like it or not, Al, we're the only ones who can fight him, let alone defeat him."

"Brother! We don't know where he is! And we're at a disadvantage, we have to use circles here!" Alphonse reasoned. Edward paused. Even he couldn't argue with that.

"Damn it, the one good thing that Truth's ever given us, and we can't use it when we need to!" He growled, punching the wall beside the door. Alphonse took the chalk and drew another circle, restoring the wall.

"Come on, Ed, they'll be looking for us." He said gently, pulling his brother out of the room by his left arm.

...

Truth glared at the being that stood casually in front of it, the shadowy outline around him fluctuating erratically. The being was it's exact opposite, a black figure outlined in white standing in a black expanse.

"Hello, Truth." The being leered, it's voice shifting. Old to young, female to male. There was nothing definite about the being, just like Truth. They mirrored the humans they faced, but there were no humans to mirror at that moment. Truth tensed.

"What the hell do you want, Axiom?" Truth snapped. Axiom chuckled.

"Still sour that I stole your little Alchemists, Truth? Don't worry, they'll be back before long. I just need they for a little while. I'll return them once they have completed their task." Axiom said. Truth stepped toward Axiom, it's anger boiling over.

"You've ruined everything! The Homunculi will destroy _everything _without them. They are _vital _to the survival of my world." Truth yelled. Axiom snickered.

"Calm yourself, Truth. I'm no fool, they will be back before any irreparable damage is done. You know as well as I do that they need this in order to grow stronger." Axiom paused. "In order to rise above their limits. My world will be good for them."

"And you never thought that you should ask me, or at the very least, _tell me_ that you were whisking them away? What if they _die_? Then what will you do, Axiom? _Tell me that_!" Truth growled, stalking closer to Axiom, until it stood on the very edge of the white expanse, it's toes almost touching Axiom's black void.

"Please, Truth, give me some credit." Axiom laughed. "I won't let them die. They're safe with me. Besides, their help in exchange for temporary immortality? That's _Equivalent Exchange_, is it not? Hell, if they do a good job, I'll even throw Alphonse's body in for free." Axiom smirked. "After all, my world does not rely so heavily upon your laws, Truth. I am a much more benevolent God."

"That's exactly what's wrong with your world, Axiom. Your people take and take without any thoughts of giving back. They are greedy, self-righteous fools. _Just like you._" Truth spat, turning and storming away.

"You'll thank me for this later, Truth! And so will they!" Axiom's voice drifted after Truth, who sped up, not stopping until it sat down in the middle of Edward, Alphonse and Scar's gates.

"You three better be back soon." Truth murmured, sighing. Truth had a sudden thought and picked something up, hurrying back toward Axiom. "Axiom!"

"What is it, Truth?" Axiom asked with an easy grin. Truth bristled.

"Here." Truth threw something to Axiom, who caught the objects and smiled.

"Ah, so you do want to help them. Alright, I'll give these to them. I'm sure they'll appreciate it." Axiom said, nodding. Truth sighed.

"Just... Just take care of them, Axiom." Truth mumbled, turning to go back to the gates. Axiom's smiled widened.

"Of course... Maybe you aren't as pitiless as I thought, Truth."

...

"Where were you two?" Hotch scolded, glaring at the Elric brothers. Edward rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

"Exploring." He said. Hotch scowled.

"Exploring? We have three serial killers on the loose who could potentially want to two dead and you've been _exploring_?" He asked, exasperated. Edward shrugged.

"Yeah. Is that a problem?" He countered. Alphonse sighed to himself. Hotch was livid.

"Yes, it's a pro-"

"Agent Hotchner!" An officer exclaimed as he opened the door. Hotch turned to him, still seething.

"What is it?" He asked, as calmly as possible.

"We just got a tip that Scar was seen on a main street in the North part of town. Should we check it out?" The officer asked. Hotch frowned.

"What street? Who sent in the tip?" Hotch asked, following the officer out. Edward smirked and sat down, picking up one of the science books that Reid had given them.

"There is no mention of alchemy in any of these books. I guess these kinds of sciences eclipsed the idea of alchemy..." Edward murmured. Alphonse picked up another book and sat beside him.

"That would explain why no one seems to use alchemy here." The younger blonde agreed, flipping through the book with only mild interest.

"_Elrics..._" Edward jumped up while Alphonse's head whipped around.

"Who said that?" Edward hissed. There was no answer. Suddenly a purple transmutation circle glowed on the ground under the brothers.

"Ed! What's going on?" Alphonse yelled. White hands -very similar to Truth's- burst out of the ground as a large eye opened up, dragging the Elric brothers into the ground.

A moment later they were dumped unceremoniously in a black void between two white marble gates. Standing in front of them was a black figure that was outlined in white, very similar to Truth.

"Where the hell are we?" Edward asked, jumping to his feet. Alphonse shifted into a seated position. The figure leered at them.

"Now, now, Edward, please sit. My name is Axiom and this is my world's gate." Axiom introduced, bending at the waist in a mock bow. Edward scowled, but slowly sat.

"So you're like Truth?" Alphonse asked timidly. Axiom nodded.

"I am Truth's..." Axiom smirked. "Brother, if you will. And speaking of Truth, I have a gift for you two." Axiom stood and walked over to them and knelt in front of Edward.

"What are you doing?" Edward spat, recoiling slightly. Axiom placed it's hand on Edward's chest and an incredibly complex purple transmutation circle appeared under it's palm. Small shock waves of energy rolled over Edward's skin as two transmutation circles appeared on his palms, the one of his human palm like a tattoo while the one on his automail palm looked scratched into the metal.

"Don't worry, the circles will disappear when you go back to your world. They are only there to allow you to use circle-less alchemy here." Axiom said, shifting to place it's palm on Alphonse's chest.

"Wait, so we're going back?" Edward asked. Axiom nodded, withdrawing it's hand from Alphonse.

"Of course. Once you complete the task I brought you here for." Axiom replied, standing and taking a few steps back.

"What task?" Alphonse asked, frowning. Axiom smirked.

"If you need to ask, you'll never know." Axiom replied, sitting. An eye opened under the Elric brothers and white hands reached out to drag them back to earth. Edward struggled against them, but to no avail. And soon, they were pulled back.

...

Reid walked into the room where Hotch had left the Elrics with a look of shock and worry. Both of the brothers were on the ground, on their hands and knees and gasping for breath. They looked pale and shaken.

"Are you alright?" Reid asked hesitantly, kneeling beside Alphonse (who was the closest brother to the door). Alphonse, who looked like he was going to be sick, nodded.

"F-Fine... Sorry." He stammered, slowly shifting into a seated position and crossing his legs.

"What are you two doing on the floor...?" Reid asked, perplexed. This did not happen often. Or, at all, really.

"It's nothing." Edward grunted, grabbing the edge on the table and pulling himself to his feet. Reid thought he saw a flash of metal on Edward's right wrist.

'_Huh. Must be a watch or something._' He thought dismissively. He frowned when he noticed how Edward's knees shook slightly, but he knew he would get nothing out of them. Sometimes teenagers were too stubborn for their own good.

"Do you two want to go to the kitchen and get some lunch?" He asked. Edward nodded, grasping Alphonse's hand and pulling the thin boy to his feet. Alphonse gritted his teeth, barely able to keep his knees from buckling.

"Yeah, good idea." Edward said. Reid smiled slightly and led them out, into the main police area.

"Are they alright?" Detective Marker asked as he walked by, pausing to examine the Elrics. Edward waved a hand at him.

"Fine." He grunted. Detective Marker's eyebrows rose, but he didn't comment.

"Michael." Detective Marker turned, slightly surprised, to see Janet standing behind him. Her long hair was pulled into a messy bun and she wore a pair of black skinny jeans and a red blouse with a plunging neckline.

"Janet? What are you doing here?" Detective Marker asked, blinking. Janet smiled, holding up a key chain with three keys on it.

"You dropped your keys in the elevator. I have a shift at the hospital and I was worried I wouldn't see you tonight, so I decided to drop them off." Janet's icy eyes darted to the Elrics. "Who are these boys?" She asked, smiling and leaning down slightly to examine them. Edward met her gaze and his eyes narrowed.

"Why do you want to know?" He asked, a dangerous edge in his voice. Janet held back a malicious grin.

"Well, it's not every day that one sees such handsome young men in a Police Station." She said cheerfully. Alphonse frowned, his expression turning guarded. Neither of the young Alchemists trusted this woman.

"They're the Chief's sons. Bring your kid to work day." Detective Marker lied smoothly. Janet hid a smirk, seeing through the lie easily.

"Well then, I have to go. Goodbye, Michael." She smiled and waved before leaving. Edward and Alphonse slipped away from Detective Marker and Reid and went into the kitchen, which was, thankfully, empty.

"She had the eyes of a killer." Edward whispered, turning on the stove as Alphonse took out a pot and put some water into it before placing it onto the warm element.

"I know. Like the Homunculi." Alphonse replied, searching the cupboards and getting out a container of dry spaghetti noodles.

"Like Scar." Edward murmured. They both fell silent, watching the water slowly start to boil. They both turned when Detective Marker came in. He walked over to the coffee machine with an empty mug and filled it with steaming black coffee.

"How are you boys doing?" He asked, turning toward them and taking a sip of coffee. Edward and Alphonse watched him for a moment.

"Fine." Edward replied tightly. Detective Marker nodded.

"You know, you don't need to be so guarded, we're here to help." He said. Edward and Alphonse exchanged a glance.

"We just want to go home." Alphonse whispered, forlorn. Detective Marker sighed and walked past them, patting each of their shoulders as he did.

"Don't worry, it will all work out in the end." He said, disappearing out the door. Alphonse sighed and tipped the noodles into the boiling water.

"What the hell are we supposed to do, Ed?" He whispered. Edward also sighed, leaning against the counter.

"I'm not sure, Al. But we'll figure it out, and we'll get back. No matter what."

...

Janet walked back into her apartment, grinning. Scar and GOD looked up from the books they had been reading.

"As suspected, the Fullmetal kid and his brother were at the police station." She paused, her lips twisting into an even more psychotic smile. "Now we wait for night and knock the investigation back a step."

...

Mr. Esp, a man of about sixty who lived in the same apartment as Janet and Detective Marker, walked home from a later dinner, whistling pleasantly to himself. As he passed the alleyway beside his apartment building, he stopped, squinting down the narrow passage. Someone seemed to be sitting against the side of the building.

"Hello?" He called, walking closer to the person. There was no reply, so he walked closer and stopped about ten feet from the person, his breath catching in his throat. Propped up against the side of the building was Mr. Esp's neighbour, Michael Marker. Michael was clearly dead, his chest covered in blood from multiple stab wounds and the wall was spattered with blood that seemed to have _blown out the back of Michael's head. _Mr. Esp stumbled back in horror, taking out his cellphone and dialling 9-1-1 with shaking fingers.

"_9-1-1, what is your emergency?_" An operator droned. Mr. Esp took a breath.

"M-My neighbour, he... he's dead..."

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter... How did you guys like it? **

**I don't know, I was trying to dive into the plot a little more, but it just kind of feels... flat. To me, anyway.**

**So, yeah, review if you please. And thank you to all the favouriters/alerters who made me feel bad for having writer's block. You guys are awesome (if not daunting).**


	6. VI

**I'd like to make a few quick notes, both somewhat related to FMA: Brotherhood.**

**One: Having recently finished Brotherhood, I think I've been portraying Alphonse well (something I've been worrying over). It's not really important to you readers, but it's rather a relief to me. What's your opinion about it?**

**And two: I know I told at least one reader awhile ago that this is set in the 2003 anime world, however, after finishing Brotherhood, I feel that it is more a mix of the two (taking more of the less complex plot of the 2003 anime, while also holding elements related to Truth, Scar and the Homunculi from the more labyrinthine plot of Brotherhood). Okay, so much more so Brotherhood. Whatever.**

**Disclaimer: You guys know the drill.**

Chapter Six

**Below courage, there is nothing. ~Kakashi Hatake, Naruto.**

It was late, just after ten o'clock, when Reid got the call. Edward and Alphonse had gone to bed about an hour earlier, exhausted after their encounter with Axiom, but were awoken by the harsh ring of the phone. Reid, who was shuffling through files in the living room, fumbled with the cordless receiver, attempting to quiet the blaring ring tone before it woke the Elrics, to no avail.

"Spencer Reid." The young genius murmured into the phone. Edward and Alphonse looked at each other and slipped out of bed, creeping toward the door and peering out. Reid gasped slightly, his eyes widening.

"Detective Marker?" There was a pause. "Where was he...?" Another pause. The Elrics exchanged a concerned glance. "Yes, I'll tell Edward and Alphonse." Reid glanced toward the guest room door and saw two pairs of golden eyes watching him. "Yeah, they're awake. See you tomorrow, Morgan."

"Spencer? What's wrong?" Alphonse asked, stepping into the light of the hall while Edward sunk deeper into the shadow of the guest room, putting his right arm behind his back. Reid squinted at the older Elric curiously, but shrugged off Edward's odd behaviour.

"Detective Marker was found dead in the alley beside his apartment building. It seems that the murderer known as _The Siren _tortured him and Scar finished him off." Reid explained. Alphonse's face darkened considerably. Reid couldn't see Edward's expression, save for the dramatic narrowing of his eyes -which seemed to glow in the dim light- into almost animalistic slits.

"Thank you for informing us, Spencer. Goodnight." Alphonse said curtly, turning on his heel and disappearing past Edward into the dark of the guest room. Edward turned, flicking the door closed and watching his brother worriedly, leaving Reid to stare at the door, rather stricken. Alphonse plopped onto the bed tiredly, staring at the ceiling.

"Al?" Edward whispered, sitting beside Alphonse. Alphonse's eyes closed and a quiet, resigning sigh escaped his lips.

"You were right, Brother. We have to find Scar... And those other murderers. This has gone too far." Alphonse said, his eyes fluttering open. There was a determined frown on his face, and a hard edge in his eyes. It wasn't a look Edward was used to.

"It has." Edward agreed, also frowning. "Listen, Alphonse." The use of his full name made Alphonse sit up, watching Edward expectantly as the older blond collected his thoughts.

"Ed?" Alphonse prodded gently after a minute or two. Edward shook his head and fixed Alphonse with a steady, yet uncharacteristically frightened gaze.

"I want you to promise... I want you to _swear _to me that you'll be careful from now on. Please, Alphonse. Things will only get more dangerous from here on out... I _can't _lose you, Al. Not again." Edward's left hand found Alphonse's right one and gripped it tightly, almost desperately.

"I swear I'll be careful... _if,_" Alphonse paused, his voice holding a trace of authority. Edward looked at him sharply. "you promise that you'll be safe too." Edward visibly relaxed, smiling slightly. But he could not help but remember his brother's words a few days ago.

"_You need to take care of yourself, too! You can't be worrying about me! All you do is worry about me! What about you? Do you know how stressful it is for me to have to worry about you for both of us? You're so reckless and irresponsible and stupid! You do things without thinking and you purposely throw yourself in harm's way! You have complete disregard for your own safety and you think you have to carry the weight of the entire world on your shoulders!"_

Edward's smile faded into a solemn frown.

Was it selfish to make Alphonse worry so much? To push away the aid that his brother offered so willingly? Was he a bad person to put such a burden on someone as innocent and selfless as Alphonse?

For all the books Edward had read in his sixteen years, he was at a loss for the answers to these questions.

"_Give me a little piece of the world, Ed. My shoulder's aren't as strong as yours are yet, but I'll get stronger. We can carry the world _together._"_

It was the least Edward could do, wasn't it? Offer Alphonse a tiny bit of the burden he shouldered. It seemed fair enough. He would do anything for his brother, so why not this?

Edward met Alphonse's gaze with grim certainty, his resolve hardening by the second.

"I swear, Alphonse. I'll be careful. And we'll shoulder the world. _Together._"

...

Reid woke up and got dressed, as usual.

He made coffee and watched the news, as usual.

He read the newspaper and brushed his teeth, as usual.

Everything about the morning was just that, _usual_. Even in spite of the news of Detective Marker's death.

Well, that is, it was all normal until Reid went to check on the Elrics. Usually they were already up by that time (7:16 am), but they had slept in today. So, when Reid opened the door, both blonds were sprawled across the bed, the sheets tangled around them haphazardly.

"Edward, Alpho-" Reid cut himself off, stopping dead in the doorway. Alphonse propped himself up on his elbows, blinking blearily at Reid while Edward stirred, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"What's wrong, Spencer?" Alphonse murmured, his voice heavy with sleep. He hazily followed Reid's gaze and sat straight up, the colour draining from his face. "Oh my god." Edward finally sat up and squinted at Alphonse and Reid before following their gazes to his automail limbs. He tensed, all remnants of sleep gone in the blink of an eye.

"What... What are those?" Reid questioned, stepping closer to the bed, staring at Edward's arm and leg in awe. Edward scrambled to get his automail covered, but knew it was too late.

"It's automail." Edward grunted, sighing in defeat. He should have seen it coming.

"Automail?" Reid rolled the word on his tongue, testing it and trying to place it. There was not even the faintest hint of recognition.

"We'll explain soon. Can you give us a moment, Spencer?" Alphonse asked, his voice tight. Reid nodded slowly, retreating out the door and picking up the phone. He dialled a number quickly and held the receiver to his ear, listening to the phone ring.

"_Aaron Hotchner._" The familiar gruff voice answered on the second ring.

"Hotch, I might be a little late in today. Something came up, I'm sorry." Reid said quickly.

"_Is everything okay, Reid?_" Hotch asked.

"Yeah, Alphonse is just feeling a little under the weather, I'm going to make sure he's fine and then I'll leave." Reid responded evenly.

"_Alright, goodbye, Reid._"

"Bye, Hotch." Reid said, hanging up.

...

Ten minutes later Reid and the Elrics were seated in Reid's living room. The Elrics, now dressed, sat on the sofa, while Reid sat in an armchair facing them.

"So you lost two of your limbs, I take it?" Reid questioned after a moment of uncomfortable silence. Edward gave a curt confirmatory nod.

"Correct." He grunted. Reid paused noticing the aura of hostility that radiated from the pair, the wall that they had thrown up to protect themselves from him. He felt like an army of one that stood at the base of a fortress. There was no hope of getting in, unless they let him in.

"And I don't suppose you'll tell me how?" Reid asked carefully. Edward and Alphonse shared a dark glance, pain flashing in their golden eyes.

"No." They answered in unison firmly. Reid sighed, but didn't press them. He was sure they would tell him went they were ready. Even if the curiosity about the automail was killing him.

"Alright." Reid stood. "You two can stay here today. I asked Olivia to look after you, she'll be over in a minute." The doorbell rang. "Speak of the devil..." Reid stood and walked over to the door. "I told her you two were feeling under the weather." Reid glanced back at them. The dark circles under their eyes, the waxen quality of their skin. Yes, it was definitely a believable lie.

"Thank you, Spencer, I think we will benefit from a day of rest." Alphonse said quietly, standing and following Edward into the guest room as the doorbell rang again. Reid sighed and opened the door.

"Hello, Olivia. Thank you for agreeing to watch them." He said tiredly to the strawberry blond woman, who grinned.

"It's no trouble, Spencer! I have the day off today anyway." Olivia said brightly. Today she wore a pair of white shorts and a purple shirt with a brown monster-type-thing on it that read: 'Domo, why you so awesome?' in bright blue bubble letters. "Have Eli and Adam ate yet? I suppose it's early... Should I make them some soup? I know a great recipe for Cream of Chicken!" Olivia rambled. Reid smiled, pulling on his coat.

"That would be great, if you don't mind, Olivia." He said. "I'm not sure when I'll be home, there's a lot happening with the case, but if you need to leave, you can just drop them off at the station." He continued, opening the door.

"No worries, I've got all the time in the world, I just need to do a little research and a small report." Olivia tapped the messenger bag that rested against her hip. "But I brought everything I need."

"Thanks again, Olivia. I owe you." Reid smiled, picking up his own messenger bag.

"Nonsense, you totally saved me that time I dropped that Magnesium into the stove..." Olivia smiled sheepishly. "It's the least I can do." Reid slipped on his shoes and stepped out the door.

"Just call if you need anything." He called over his shoulder as he walked to the elevator.

"Will do! Bye, Spencer!" Olivia yelled after him before closing the door and going into the kitchen.

...

Scar stood from Janet's couch, setting down his book. GOD and Janet looked up from what they were doing.

"Is it time?" Janet asked, smirking. Scar nodded.

"I'll be back. It won't take long, if they are still with the police." He grunted.

"Of course. And you'll call us if they aren't, correct?" Janet said, dangling a cellphone in front of Scar. Scar took it, nodding again and shoving the phone into his jacket pocket.

"Yes." He walked to the window and gave the other murderers a final glance before dropping to the ground below. He pulled up the hood of the jacket Janet had acquired and put on a pair of aviator sunglasses. "Now, where are you, Fullmetal?"

...

Half an hour later Olivia carried a tray with two bowls of soup out of the kitchen. She knocked on the door and paused, receiving no reply.

"Eli? Adam?" She called, opening the door. Once she stepped inside she dropped the tray, feeling soup splash her legs before rushing to the open window. "Eli! Adam!" She stuck her head out the window, looking around in a flurry of panic.

The bed was made.

The closet was empty.

Cold air rushed in through the window.

There was a scuff mark on the window sill and a footprint on the fire escape.

Olivia rushed back into the living room and grabbed the phone, dialling Reid's cellphone number with shaking fingers. It took three rings for Reid to pick up.

"_Olivia? Is everything-_"

"Eli and Adam are gone! All their things are gone and the window was left open!" Olivia said, all in one breath. Reid paused.

"_Gone? Where would they go? I'll tell the rest of the team and we'll have a search team out soon. Did they leave a note?_" He asked. Olivia went back into the vacate guest room and looked around before her eyes settled on a piece of notebook paper folded on the nightstand. She picked it up and read through the careful script.

_Dear Olivia and Reid,_

_We're sorry to leave so suddenly, we really are. But we have to. _

_Reid, you don't understand what you are getting into, trying to catch Scar. He is a foe unlike any you have ever encountered, we are sure. It would be better for everyone if you let us handle him. Don't bother looking for us, you won't find us and it will only hinder our progress if we have to evade you. Trust us when we say that we will be fine, and that we will take down Scar and his allies. And do not take it the wrong way when we say that we hope to never see you again. We're going home, no matter what it takes._

_And Olivia, please do not feel guilty for letting us slip through your fingers, it is not your fault, it is ours. This was the only chance we had to leave, and we had to take it. Do not blame yourself._

_Goodbye, and good luck,_

_Edward and Alphonse Hoenhiem._

When Olivia finished reading through the letter she relayed it to Reid, not even bothering to question the names at the end of the letter.

"_Can you stay at my place until I get there, Olivia? I'll be there soon._"Reid said. Olivia sat on the guest bed, staring at the letter.

"Sure, Spencer. I'm so sorry."

...

Edward and Alphonse hurried along the crowded main street, their heads down. Both of them had a small backpack slung over their shoulders.

"I feel bad for just leaving like that..." Alphonse murmured, shoving his hands into his sweater pockets. Edward shrugged.

"It couldn't be helped." He muttered. He suddenly grasped Alphonse's sleeve and pulled him into an alley as a police car went by. "Maybe we should stick to alleys, that's where we're likely to find Scar, anyway."

...

Reid led the rest of the BAU team into his apartment to find Olivia still sitting on the guest bed, her expression very similar to that of a lost puppy.

"Olivia? Are you okay?" Reid asked. Olivia looked at him with large eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Reid! I didn't expect them to just leave... I was only making soup... I assumed they were sleeping..." Olivia rambled. Reid smiled at her.

"It's fine, Olivia, we'll find them in a flash, you'll see." He reassured her. Olivia smiled back slightly.

"Okay, I hope so." She glanced out the window. " Especially with those murderers on the loose. They could be in real danger, out there all alone..."

...

An hour passed, in which the Elrics navigated the alleys of Quantico, using a map they had 'borrowed' from Reid. Nothing of note had happened, and they were getting hungry.

"Brother, maybe we should find a cafe or something..." Alphonse suggested quietly.

"Yeah, I guess we-" Both Elrics stopped dead at the voice that came from behind them.

"Hello, Fullmetal."

...

Axiom smirked wickedly, watching the scene unfold in his world. It even went so far as to laugh maliciously, catching the attention of Truth.

"What are you doing now, Axiom?" Truth hissed. Axiom laughed again, smug.

"Oh, nothing, Truth." Axiom called, snickering. Truth gave Axiom an odd look.

"Doesn't sound like nothing." Truth grunted. Axiom grinned.

"Alright, let's see what they do next."

**Huh. Lots of really short sections in this chapter. Not sure how I feel about that. How do YOU guys feel about it?**

**How do you guys feel about the way I portray the Elrics' relationship? I'm constantly worried, because I want them to seem really close, but not like, you know, Elricest (Elric incest) close.**

**Anyway, send me your input via review, if you don't mind. And I'll see you next update. :)**


	7. VII

**Finally, it's about time I get out another chapter over 3000 words. I think it's the flashbacks that make the difference. **

**I'm going to warn you all right now (and this goes for all my stories), there is a moderately high chance I will not update for a while after this. School starts next week and I'm having some personal complications that are interfering with my writing. Just so you know.**

**Also, I might make a sequel to this story (hell, maybe even a Trilogy-type-thing, although I haven't thought that far ahead). How would you guys feel about that (considering this would mean an incomplete ending for Ensnared, but also mean that the plot would continue on a lot longer)?**

**Oh, and I meant to bring this up a LONG time ago, but I kept forgetting. An anon reviewer brought to my attention that in episode eight () of season one of Criminal Minds, Garcia has a model of Alphonse (armour version) on her desk.**

**Trust me, it's there. I found it and stared at it in wonder for about ten minutes. ^_^ So yeah, that pretty much made my life. No joke.**

**Disclaimer: I've never owned FMA or Criminal Minds, and I still do not. I could never write anything that good. **

Chapter Seven

_**One man may hit the mark, another blunder; but heed not these distinctions. Only from the alliance of the one, working with and through the other, are great things born. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery**_

Edward and Alphonse turned slowly to face the tall shadow that loomed over them. Edward's eyes narrowed dangerously. Alphonse's gaze flickered between his brother and the shadowed figure, calculatingly.

"_Scar._" Edward hissed lowly. Scar's hood had been drawn back from his face, and his sunglasses removed. There was no mistaking him. Edward clapped his hands together and there was a bright flash of alchemy, transforming his automail arm into a blade before running at Scar. His blade clipped against Scar's arm and suddenly he was blown backward into the alley wall. His head snapped back, cracking against the brick. Scar has pushed back a few feet as if by a harsh wind.

"Brother! What just happened? Are you okay?" Alphonse asked, rushing to Edward's side. Edward stood up, slowly rotating his shoulders, a perplexed expression on his face. Scar also looked confused.

"I'm fine." Edward said, blinking. Alphonse frowned and fussed about him for a moment, prodding his back, neck and head.

"But... But... You just..." Alphonse looked between the slightly cracked and crumbly wall and his brother, astonished. "What the heck just happened?" At that moment Scar charged at them, his arm crackling with red alchemy. Alphonse clapped his hands and slammed his palms to the ground. Spikes of cement erupted from the ground in Scar's path. One looked like it was going to ram straight through his abdomen, but went it made contact with Scar it disintegrated and Scar stumbled back a few steps.

"Al, what's going on?" Edward asked, dodging an attack from Scar.

"I don't know..." Alphonse's brow furrowed. '_Could it be that... No, that's impossible... But if it isn't... I need to make sure before brother comes to the same conclusion._' Alphonse nodded to himself, hovering near the wall until the right moment. Scar lunged at Edward, his arm extended. '_Now!_' Alphonse slid in the way of Scar's attack as Edward dodged.

"Alphonse!" Edward yelled. Alphonse shut his eyes, praying he was right. He felt a pressure on his chest, making it hard to breathe for a moment, but the pressure was gone as quickly as it had come and he flew back, pushed right off his feet.

'_This is all so odd..._' Alphonse thought. A moment later he hit the ground. The initial impact sent a wave of pain through him and knocked the wind out of him. But the pain faded almost instantly and his breathing was back to normal after only a few gasps of air.

"_You bastard."_ He heard Edward growl. Alphonse's eyes fluttered open and he looked down at himself. He was completely uninjured.

Scar had been blown back when his attack touched Alphonse, and seemed completely unscathed, even though he had skidded along the asphalt. Edward stood a few feet away, livid. He clapped his hands and pressed his palms to the ground, transmuting a large spike that shot out of the ground and into Scar's back. It turned to dust when it hit him.

"Brother." Alphonse got up and walked over to Edward. "I'm fine."

"Alphonse!" Edward spun around and gripped his brother's shoulders (more harshly than he intended). Alphonse winced. "What the _fuck_ were you thinking?" Alphonse met Edward's furious, panicked gaze and smiled.

"Don't you _understand_, Brother? _We can't be fatally harmed in this world._" Alphonse emphasized each word carefully. Edward blinked and slowly released his shoulders.

"We..." Edward paused, processing Alphonse's words. A moment later his eyes light up. "You're right." Alphonse nodded vigorously. Scar stood a few feet away, his eyes widening marginally.

"Ow!" Alphonse rubbed his head, frowning. Edward lowered his hand, glaring at the other blond. "What was that for, Ed?" Edward hit him over the head again.

"For scaring me, idiot!" Edward growled. Alphonse gave him a stern look.

"I knew I wasn't going to get hurt." He retorted, indignant. Edward's glare turned icy.

"You promised you'd be careful! How was _that _careful?" He replied angrily. Alphonse glared back defensively.

"It's nothing _you _wouldn't do, Ed." He said harshly. Edward scowled but didn't reply (mostly because he knew Alphonse was right). Instead he turned to Scar.

"We were brought here together, and we can't hurt each other now." He began thoughtfully. "It may be in our best interest to work together." Scar watched the Elrics thoughtfully.

"I suppose..." He murmured in agreement.

"Then what do we do?" Alphonse questioned. There was a pause when Edward seemed to be debating whether to ignore him childishly or answer him. He chose the latter.

"Well, that Axiom guy said we could go back to our world after we finished the 'task' he'd brought us here for." Edward said, looking at Scar. Alphonse rolled his eyes.

"So," Scar began, musingly. "we need to figure out what the task is, and proceed to complete it."

"Sounds easier said than done." Alphonse murmured. Edward nodded.

...

"They're going to work together." It was a very off-handed comment, but it was not the tone that made Truth's gaze snap to Axiom, it was the words.

"They are? ... I guess it was to be expected, they would have had to work together in my world soon enough as well." Truth said. It sighed heavily before locking it's gaze with Axiom's. "Well done, Axiom."

"_Everyone has the ability to be both good and evil. It is the people and events around them ultimately shape them._" Axiom paused, grinning. "That is the principle _I _like to work from."

"Hm." Truth paused thoughtfully before smiling crookedly. "I think I like the sound of that. I might just borrow it."

...

"Do you have any idea where they would go?" Hotch asked the younger pair that sat in front of him. Olivia shrugged helplessly, while Reid shook his head.

"They don't have any family, and they never mentioned where they were living before we found them. Quite honestly, I don't think they are even familiar with the area." He said, solemn. Hotch scowled.

"Well, it hasn't been long, we'll just have to canvass the area and we should get a lead." He said, sighing.

"Come on, Reid." Morgan added, appearing at Hotch's side. Reid nodded and stood.

"I'll see you later, Olivia." He said over his shoulder. Olivia nodded and walked out of Reid's apartment with them before disappearing into her own apartment.

...

"This is weird." Alphonse said, breaking the ten minute long silence between the three Amestrians. Scar and Edward both silently agreed. Edward had long forgotten his brief anger at his brother, and was deep in thought. The trio sat in a small run-down cafe which was empty besides them and a young waitress who was listening to blaring music from a tiny device that none of them recognized. Scar had black coffee, Edward had some kind of clear carbonated beverage, and Alphonse had an Earl Grey tea with extra sugar.

"So, Scar, who are the two murderers you _were_ working with." Edward emphasized 'were', giving Scar a hard glare. Scar rolled his eyes.

"One of them was a man, I don't know his real name, but he goes by GOD. And the other was a younger woman, Janet. She reminds me of Lust..." Scar trailed off, taking in the now ashen faces of the brothers. "What?"

"Janet as in the woman who lives... Er, _lived_... in Detective Marker's building?" Edward asked. Scar paused.

"Yes, I believe she mentioned a Marker..." Scar's face darkened. "Oh, right. Him."

"You killed him." Alphonse's voice was a mere whisper, his eyes watching steam rise from his tea.

"I didn't have a choice." Scar grunted, scowling and glancing out the window. Edward's fists clenched and it took all he had to not jump out of his chair and attack Scar.

"You always have a choice, Scar. And you've made all the wrong ones." He growled. Scar sighed silently and turned to look at Edward.

"You're not the only one who's spoken to Axiom, Fullmetal." He said coldly. Edward deflated slightly at the name, while Alphonse's head snapped up. Edward eyed Scar with suspicion.

"What do you mean, Scar?"

_-Flashback-_

_Scar was dumped unceremoniously at the feet of the white-outlined shadowy figure. He quickly got to his feet, glaring at the leering Axiom._

"_Who the hell are you?" He growled. Axiom chuckled._

"_Let us remember our manners, Scar." The dark being smirked. "My name is Axiom, I am the God of this world." Axiom mockingly bowed._

"_What do you want?" Scar hissed, neither impressed nor amused by Axiom. Axiom snickered._

"_So impatient, aren't you? Alright. I've brought you here to tell you something. Please, sit." Axiom said, sitting cross-legged on the ground. Scar watched him uncertainly for a moment before cautiously following suit._

"_Well?" He prodded. Axiom smiled and got straight to the point._

"_Soon, in my world, you will meet two murderers. The Siren and The Judge, as the humans call them. You will know them when you see them." Axiom paused, relishing the look of frustration that appeared on Scar's face._

"_And? What about them?" Scar pressed._

"_I want you to gain their trust. **By any means possible**. You will have to kill innocent people, in fact, I want you to kill **anyone who crosses your path** until you meet these two people." Axiom said. Surprise flashed across Scar's face, making Axiom grin._

"_... Why?" Scar said after a moment, oddly calm._

"_Because, if you don't gain their trust, you will never be able to complete the task I brought you here for. Good luck." Axiom added the last part as an afterthought while an eye opened below Scar and white hands dragged him back to Earth._

_-End Flashback-_

"That bastard _told_ you to kill people?" Edward asked, his eyes wide. Alphonse looked absolutely horrified. Scar just nodded.

"Yes." He paused, frowning in thought. "Obviously, Janet and GOD have something to do with this 'task' we have to complete."

"Maybe..." Alphonse murmured. Scar and Edward looked at him, expectant. "Maybe we have to... Kill them. Or, at least stop them from killing anymore..."

...

"Have you seen either of these boys?" Reid asked a middle-aged woman who had two children trailing beside her. He felt bad for bothering her, but it had to be done.

"No, sorry, I don't think I have." The woman said, tired. Suddenly the older of the woman's children, a girl of about ten, made a slight gasping sound.

"Oh! I saw them! They were going that way!" She said excitedly, pointing East down the street. Reid knelt down so he was at her eye-level.

"Are you sure?" He asked kindly. The girl nodded her head vigorously, and glanced at her younger sister.

"Yes! Right, Maddie?" The girl paused and blushed while the younger one, Maddie, nodded. "They have really pretty hair."

"Thank you, that's a big help." Reid smiled at the girls and stood, nodding to their mother before hurrying over to Hotch. "Hotch, they were witnessed going East."

"Excellent." Hotch typed out something on his phone and Reid noticed the other BAU members check their phones and turn Eastward.

"Hopefully they are still in the area." Reid said, walking down the street with Hotch. Hotch nodded.

"Hopefully we find them before someone else does."

...

"So, if we kill -or at the very least, arrest- Janet and GOD, we'll be able to go back to Amestris?" Scar said slowly. Edward shrugged. They were in another alley, Edward and Alphonse leaning against one wall, and Scar leaning against the opposite one.

"Seems that way." Edward agreed. Alphonse nodded.

"It would be easier to kill them." Scar murmured. Edward and Alphonse both glared at him.

"Killing them will be our last resort. _We _aren't murderers." Edward said harshly. Scar's eyes narrowed.

"Don't pretend you haven't killed, Fullmetal. Maybe your brother hasn't..." Scar spared Alphonse a glance. "No, he certainly has not. But don't even try to tell me you haven't."

"Well, unlike you, Scar, I don't kill in cold-blood." Edward ground out, his jaw locked. Alphonse glanced between the two of them uneasily. Scar let out a brittle chuckle.

"Does it really matter why or how you kill? It's all the same, you still take another person's life." He said, almost mirthfully.

"_I'm nothing like you, Scar._" Edward growled darkly, his entire body tensing angrily. Scar watched him indifferently. Alphonse put his hand on Edward's shoulder and leaned close to his ear, glancing at Scar in a reprimanding way.

"Ignore him, Ed. I know you aren't like him, and so do you. That's all that matters, right? To hell with him." He whispered. Edward sighed heavily, his muscles relaxing slightly and he smiled at Alphonse, amused.

"Wishing Hell upon someone? How unlike you, Alphonse." He said teasingly. Alphonse laughed quietly.

"I suppose so. You're rubbing off on me." He quipped. Scar watched their banter curiously. He had never seen Edward when he wasn't out for his blood, and he had never seen Alphonse without the stoic suit of armour. It was a weird sight, to see the pair so light-hearted... So _human_.

'_What the hell... Oh.'_ Scar jumped slightly as the cellphone Janet gave him vibrated. He took it out and glanced at the text on the screen.

**Where are you, Scar? Did you find the kids?**Scar scowled and used a bit of alchemy to destroy the device before throwing it away.

"We should move." He said suddenly, pushing away from the wall. The Elrics glanced at him in surprise, and Edward released Alphonse from the headlock he had had him in. Alphonse nodded.

"Right, let's go."

...

Janet sat restlessly, tapping her nails on the coffee table and staring at her phone. GOD sat across the room, reading.

"It's been almost half an hour since I texted him, what the hell is Scar doing?" She finally growled, shooting to her feet and stalking across the room to look out the window. GOD looked at her fleetingly.

"... Maybe he got caught." He said monotonously. Janet raised here eyebrows at him.

"Ah. It speaks." She mused. "I suppose he could have been caught... No, he's too careful. And how could the police catch him with that power he has?"

"Alchemy." GOD offered.

"Right, that. No way the police could catch him." Janet nodded to herself, twirling a piece of her dark hair around her index finger. "But then, why is he not replying?" GOD just shrugged. "Yes, I suppose it's probably nothing. He's not that good with phones, maybe he just forgets how to use it... Yes, yes. That makes sense, right?" GOD finally closed his book, meeting her agitated gaze evenly.

"Sure."

...

"Everything is falling into place." Truth murmured, looking between Edward, Alphonse and Scar's gates.

"Indeed. It's only a matter of time now." Axiom agreed, watching his world in with a slight sense of pride, and a twinge of amusement. "Hey, Truth?"

"What is it, Axiom?" Truth questioned, looking at the other figure curiously.

"I... I have a request." Axiom began, frowning. Truth's brow furrowed and it turned it's full attention to Axiom. The other being was rarely so serious.

"What? Out with it, Axiom." He prodded bluntly. Axiom sighed and stared intensely at Truth, who leaned forward in anticipation. Axiom cleared it's throat before continuing in a quieter voice:

"Well, I know it's a lot to ask, but..."

**Wow. GOD actually spoke. Such a surprising turn of events! Well, not really. **

**Sorry about the fight scene, by the way. I tried to make it more intense... but it didn't pan out well, obviously. ^^; Oh well, it served it's purpose, and our antagonist is turned protagonist... OR IS HE? You will have to wait to find out.**

**I wonder what Axiom wanted to ask Truth... Hmmm (actually, I already know, but I'm sure you guys don't, or at least, I hope it is not THAT obvious) ...**

**Please review, if you wouldn't mind. I won't bite, and I really appreciate your opinions! ^_^**


	8. VIII

**Oh my god, this is the second last chapter. I am both excited and sad. I love this story so much. It's like my child is all grown up. *sniffle* **

**Just kidding. There's going to be a sequel. I'm not done torturing... *coughs* I mean... loving the Elrics yet. ^_^**

**I'm about 90% sure that this is my favourite chapter (of any story) I've ever written. The beginning is a bit slow, but it's just setting the stage for the climax of the story, fear not.**

**Now, read on and I hope you enjoy.**

Chapter Eight

**"If we must die, O let us nobly die,  
>So that our precious blood may not be shed<br>In vain; then even the monsters we defy  
>Shall be constrained to honour us though dead!<br>O kinsmen we must meet the common foe!  
>Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,<br>And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow!  
>What though before us lies the open grave?<br>Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,  
>Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!" <strong>

**~If We Must Die by Claude McKay**

Truth and Axiom sat in silence. Axiom was watching Truth carefully, while the white being processed Axiom's request, stunned.

"You want..." Truth suddenly shook his head. "No fucking way, Axiom. _No. Fucking. Way._"

"Please, Truth? You know it would benefit them!" Axiom pleaded. Truth scowled at him.

"No! How _dare_ you even think about asking me that! You've got some nerve, Axiom!" Truth snarled, jumping to it's feet and pacing, going from Scar's gate to Edward's and back.

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't best for everyone involved!" Axiom defended, also standing. "Besides, you said your world would be fine for at least another six months without them!"

"Axiom." Truth's tone turned cold. "You're going too far. What you're suggesting is-"

"What if I take _Them, _too?" Axiom interrupted. Truth paused.

"_All_ of Them?" Truth asked, it's eyebrows raising.

"Not all of Them. One? Two? Just enough to post-pone their plans, not that they can do anything at the moment." Axiom said. Truth sighed and studied Axiom's expression carefully for a moment.

"I..." Truth sighed again. "I suppose, if you really must... But I want something in return." Axiom leaned forward.

"Anything." Axiom said, smiling. Truth took a breath.

"I want..."

...

"Can we have a room for three for one night, please?" Alphonse asked the young woman in the lobby of the small hotel. The woman looked at the brothers curiously.

"Three?" She asked. Edward nodded, leaning against the counter with a look of non-interest.

"Our uncle is outside." He lied smoothly. The woman nodded.

"The only room available only has a queen and a single bed. Will that do?" She asked. The Elrics nodded.

"Yes, that will be fine." Alphonse said.

"Alright, thirty dollars." The woman said, typing into the computer. Edward put some bills on the counter. She put the money away and handed Edward a key. "Room 12. Have a nice stay."

"Thank you." Alphonse smiled sweetly. The pair went back outside to where Scar stood leaning against the side of the building, his hood drawn up and his sunglasses on. Edward stopped in front of him and crossed his arms.

"Come on, we got a room."

...

"We've run out of leads, Hotch." Prentiss said, nursing a coffee.

"I know. Looks like we'll have to broadcast it." Hotch sighed.

"But wouldn't we run the risk of alerting Scar to the fact that they're missing, if he doesn't already know?" Reid asked. Hotch nodded.

"Yes, but it's the only way we'll be able to find them." He replied, taking out his phone and dialling a number quickly. "JJ., set up a press conference."

"_What for?_" JJ. asked.

"We need to send out an AMBER Alert for the Hohenhiem brothers within the hour. Can you do it?" Hotch requested. JJ. sounded rather smug and oddly Garcia-like when she replied:

"_Of course. Be in front of the police station in half an hour._"

...

"_This is an official AMBER Alert. Two boys went missing at about eight o'clock this morning from police protective custody. Edward Hohenhiem, sixteen, and Alphonse Hohenhiem, fifteen, were last seen going East down Henderson Road about two hours ago. If you have any information about their whereabouts, please contact_-" The TV turned off.

"So, the little Hohenhiem boys are on the loose? Scar must have found them by now. He's probably finishing them off as we speak." Janet grinned. GOD nodded. "And once those boys are gone, there will be no one to identify Scar. We will be free to kill as we wish."

"Scar said they are smart, and they saw you at the police station. What if they know who you are?" GOD asked. Janet waved her hand dismissively.

"That won't be a problem when they're dead."

...

Scar sat in the cheap chair at the desk of the hotel room, looking at the Elric brothers as they sat thinking. Edward was sprawled out on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling while Alphonse sat crossed-legged beside him, gazing out the window.

"Janet and GOD will be going out soon. They're heading to the South part of town." Scar commented. Edward's head rolled slightly so his golden gaze fixed on the Ishvalan.

"Are they?" His tone was clam, almost lazy. "Good thing we're in the Southern part of town." Edward flipped onto his stomach and pulled a map out of his pocket, smoothing it out on the bed in front of him.

"We are?" Scar asked, frowning. Obviously the Elrics had a much better grasp of the city's geography than he did.

"Yep. We're right here." Alphonse said, scooting closer to Edward and pointing at a spot near the bottom of the map. "We're actually just outside of the downtown area." Scar walked over and squinted at the map before running his fingertip over a long road not far from the place Alphonse had pointed out.

"Janet said they'd be going there." He said. Edward rolled off the bed and grabbed his jacket from a hook near the door, slinging it over his shoulder. His hand rested on the door handle.

"Well, what're we waiting for? The sooner we take care of them, the sooner we can get home."

...

Truth sighed, rubbing a hand over it's face. Axiom shrugged.

"Far enough. I owe you. Besides," Axiom paused, watching the Amestrian trio walking together, seeming almost friendly. "I think he's learned his lesson. He should be fine to commence with the next stage of the plan in your world. As soon as they dispose of the targets, that is."

"Thanks, Axiom." Truth murmured, watching his alchemists as well.

"No, no, Truth. _I_ thank _you_." Axiom replied with a grin. "You have no idea how much this will better my world. It's something I've been meaning to clean up for a _very_ long time."

"I know." Truth was silent for a moment. "Wait. They will get to keep their immortality, right?"

"Yes. No one will be able to spill their blood. Or, at least, more than a drop." Axiom replied cheerfully. Truth rolled it's eyes.

"I don't see why you don't just make them completely invincible. Why let the little things like a pin prick or a stubbed toe hurt them?" Truth asked.

"Where's the fun in that, Truth? Besides, sometimes humans need a slap in the face to set them straight, and I'm not taking that away from them." Axiom said, smirking in a slightly sadistic manner. Truth snorted.

"Whatever, Axiom. As long as they are safe."

...

As Scar and the Elric brother's were leaving, the woman, a slim thirty-something with brunette hair who's nameplate read _Natasha_, at the hotel desk suddenly sat up straighter and watched them with sharp eyes. The trio, in somewhat of a hurry, didn't pay her any mind.

Once they were gone, the woman picked up the phone and dialled 9-1-1.

"_9-1-1, what is your emergency?"_ A monotone voice droned.

"I have a tip about the AMBER Alert for the Hohenhiem boys." Natasha replied.

"_Just one moment."_ The monotone voice answered. Natasha waited while her call was redirected.

"_Please state your name and information." _A new voice said after a moment.

"Natasha Kentway. The Hohenhiem brothers booked a room at the Gregory Hotel, 736 Elliot Road with their uncle earlier today. They just left the hotel a few minutes ago." Natasha said.

"_Thank you for informing us. Have a nice day." _And the person on the other line hung up.

...

"There." Edward hissed, looking down at Janet and GOD, who walked down the street below. He, Alphonse and Scar were crouched on the edge of a roof over-looking the rather run-down looking street. "Here's the plan, Al and I will confront them. Scar, you wait here. We don't want to let them know you aren't on their side unless we have to, in case they escape. Only join the fight if we really need it. Also..." He took out a sleek black phone and handed it to Scar. "After I'm done, call the police."

"Where did you get this?" Scar asked, looking at the phone curiously. Edward frowned and shifted guiltily.

"I... borrowed it." He muttered. Scar's eyebrows rose, then he shrugged.

"Alright. GOD definitely has a gun. Janet has a knife, and she might have a gun too. I'd be careful of that... Not that they can kill you..." Scar warned. The Elrics nodded and dropped off the edge of the roof of the two-story building. Alphonse landed in a crouch in front of the homicidal pair, while Edward landed silently on his feet behind them, like a cat. He went unnoticed by Janet and GOD.

"So I take it you're _The Siren _and _The Judge_?" Alphonse asked. It was obviously a rhetorical question.

"What a pleasure. It's one of the Hohenhiem brothers." Janet said smoothly. GOD drew his gun, pointing it at Alphonse. The young blond straightened, watching at the pair of killers calmly.

"Hohenhiem? Never heard of it. I'm a Elric brother." He said. Janet ignored his comment.

"You're the one Scar calls Fullmetal, aren't you?" Janet questioned silkily. She walked forward with soundless footsteps, stopping two feet in front of Alphonse, who seemed completely unfazed.

'_Funny, how people assume I'm the older brother even in my own body._' He mused.

"Fullmetal? I have no idea what you are talking about." He replied, his lips twisting into the ghost of a smirk. Janet frowned slightly and slid a long, sharp knife out of the sleeve of her blouse. She trailed the tip of the blade along Alphonse's jaw. The younger Elric held back a shiver at the light touch of the cold metal.

"Are you sure, kid?" Janet whispered, resting her hand on his shoulder and squeezing it painfully. The tip of the knife dug into Alphonse's skin just below his right ear. He felt a drop of warm blood run down his neck and smiled ruefully.

"Positive."

...

GOD, who stood behind Janet, his gun still trained on Alphonse, suddenly turned on his heel as a flash of gold disappeared around the corner of a building. GOD glanced back at Janet. The blond boy was making no move to fight her. After a moment of thought, GOD turned back and rounded the corner. In front of him was Edward, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and sporting a cocky grin.

"Hey there, _Judge_." Edward pushed himself off the wall and dropped his arms to his sides. "The court is yours."

"Hn." GOD took aim and let off three rounds.

...

"Do you know what direction they were going?" Morgan asked the woman at the hotel, Natasha.

"West. Definitely West." She replied, blushing under his gaze. Morgan nodded.

"And what did their 'Uncle' look like?" He questioned.

"His skin was a lot darker than theirs. I couldn't get a very good look at him because he had a hood and sunglasses on." Natasha said, shrugging.

"Sunglasses? At night?" Morgan asked, eyebrows raising. Natasha nodded vigorously.

"Yeah. I think he had some kind of scar on his face." She answered. Morgan straightened.

"And they were with him willingly?" He murmured.

"Yep. Actually, it seems like they were leading him around." Natasha said. Morgan nodded again.

"Thank you for your help." He said, walking out to the rest of the BAU, who waited in the parking lot. "Things just got even weirder."

...

Janet ground her teeth in frustration. It took everything she had not to just kill the calm boy where he stood. "Listen, kid, I know you're one of the Hohenhiem brothers. Stop lying."

"My name isn't Hohenhiem. My name is Elric." Alphonse replied, slightly amused. Janet growled and suddenly her foot lashed out, catching behind Alphonse's knees, making him fall onto his back. Janet sat on his stomach and held her knife so it hovered over his heart.

"I do not like to be lied to." Janet hissed. Alphonse just smiled slightly.

"I'm not lying. And, quite frankly, I wouldn't do that if I were you." He replied, looking pointedly at the knife.

"And, why not?" Janet asked angrily. Alphonse's smile turn into a very Edward-like smirk.

"Because I'm immortal." He mock-whispered. Janet paused a moment before her face twisted in rage and she reeled the knife back and plunged it into his chest.

...

Edward cried out slightly from the pain that tore through him as the bullets hit him. One in the head, two in the chest. However, after about a quarter of a second the bullets rebounded as if Edward had been wearing Alphonse's old armour. Soon after the pain also faded.

"What the-" GOD cut himself off with a grunt as one of the bullets hit his leg, and another his shoulder. His injured leg gave out and the man fell to his knees, dropping the gun. Edward walked over to him with his lips pressed into a thin, grim line and picked up the gun and transmuted it into a useless hunk of metal.

"That was easier that I had thought it would be."

...

Alphonse let out a gasp as pain radiated through his chest. Janet grinned maliciously but then she was blown back, landing on the ground a few feet away. Alphonse sat up as the pain faded.

'_That was pretty painful considering the knife didn't even touch me. I almost miss that armour... No, wait, scratch that. Pain is great. Awesome. Better than being a soul bound to armour... Yeah_.' He thought, getting to his feet.

"What... What just happened?" Janet murmured, pushing herself off the ground. She certainly looked worse for wear, her hair tangled around her face and her clothes rumpled.

"I told you, I'm immortal." Alphonse smiled. Janet growled, obviously finding his expression patronizing.

"Like hell you are. I'm going to gut you like a fish." She hissed. Alphonse stood still as she got up and advanced toward him. He was not very keen on the idea of the pain brought on by the knife, but it did not harm him, so it was not really any trouble.

"You're the one who will get hurt if you try to kill me." He replied. Janet grinned.

"Want to bet?" She sneered and grabbed the front of his shirt and pushing him into the wall behind him. She then laughed before thrusting her knife into his stomach and dragging it across his body.

Alphonse couldn't help the scream that ripped itself from his throat.

...

Edward whipped around as Alphonse's scream pierced the air. He quickly transmuted a pair of handcuffs out of a garbage can lid and put one cuff on GOD's right wrist, then fastened the handcuffs around a fire escape. He then ran around the corner.

"Al?" His eyes widened. Alphonse sat propped against the wall, his breathing uneven and his horror-filled eyes resting on Janet, who was a crumpled heap about ten feet away. Scar knelt beside Alphonse, murmuring something to him. As Edward hurried past Janet he noticed the odd, twisted angle at which her neck rested. His stomach flipped.

"She's d-dead? B-But..." Alphonse looked distraught.

"She was thrown back and she landed awkwardly. Her neck snapped like a twig." Scar explained bluntly. Alphonse looked like he was going to be sick.

"So I killed her?" He whispered, seeming unable to tear his gaze away from Janet's body.

"Technically-" Edward cut off Scar by harshly elbowing him in the ribs before kneeling in front of Alphonse.

"Of course not, Al. She did it to herself." He murmured, grabbing Alphonse's hand and pulling him to his feet.

"I told her she'd be the one who got hurt if she tried to kill me." Alphonse whispered. Edward nodded.

"I know. Don't worry about it. Come on, we've got to get out of here before the police show up..." He glanced at Scar. "You called them, right?"

"Yes. They'll be here soon." Scar replied. They could hear police sirens in the distance.

"_Well done. Edward, Alphonse, Scar. You have completed your task." _Axiom's voice seemed to be carried on the wind, surprising them. Then an eye opened up under the Alchemists and white hands dragged them out of the foreign world.

**OH NO! WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? I know. Do you? I certainly hope not, or all the mystery I've been trying to put in is for not... **

**I don't know why, but I really like to pick on Alphonse. Seriously, it's a bit discerning. I think (hope) it's just because I like looking at things from his point of view...**

**Or I'm just a sadistic bitch. Either or.**

**Anyway, please review. I've decided not to post the last chapter until I get up to at least 55 reviews (6 more, I believe). This is only because I only got three reviews last chapter, and I know a lot more than three people are reading this.**

**Seriously, I don't bite. I'm all for constructive criticism. ^_^ (shameless self-promotion, I have it)**


	9. IX

**Oh my god, it's the last chapter... *cries in corner* I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS!**

**... Oh wait, there's going to be a sequel. I keep forgetting that. By the way, the sequel will be called _Inveigle_ (which, yes, is a synonym of Ensnared), so look out for that within the next few weeks.**

**IMPORTANT: I'm might not keep them in the Criminal Minds universe. Sorry if that disappoints any CM fans. I'm sticking with crime based things though. I was thinking maybe going back to the Jack the Ripper case... Black Butler? Or some random case in Death Note? Or something with one of the newer crime shows like Prime Suspect or Unforgettable... Eh, we'll see. I'll put a poll on my profile.**

**And, for the final time, I give you the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA, Criminal Minds, or any of the characters/OCs used in this story. *sobs***

Chapter Nine

It All Ends Here.

"_**A lesson without pain is meaningless, for you cannot gain something without sacrificing something else in return. But once you own it and make it your own, you will gain an irreplaceable Fullmetal heart." ~Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.**_

The BAU team were already heading West when they got the call that _The Siren _and _The Judge _had been seen fighting the Elrics on Barnett Avenue. For that reason (and Morgan's reckless driving), they arrived at the scene of the fight in only two minutes.

The Elrics were nowhere in sight. The first thing they saw were the paramedics loading a female body onto a stretcher. The woman's eyes had been closed, but it was obvious from the lopsided twist of her neck that she was dead.

"Is that... _The Siren_?" Prentiss asked. A nearby officer nodded.

"Yep. Apparently her name is Janet Hilson. She lived in the same apartment building as Detective Marker." The officer, Mallark, explained.

"She was the woman who dropped off his keys at the station the other day... The same day he was found dead." Reid said. Officer Mallark nodded.

"Yep. I don't think Michael ever saw it coming." He muttered, solemnly. There was new movement on the road as four police officers escorted a middle-aged man in handcuffs around the corner and toward a police car. The man stared at Janet's body as it was loaded into an ambulance, his expression pained.

"Is she... Dead?" He asked one of the officers, who just nodded. "Where those damn kids? I'll kill them... And what about that traitor, Scar?" His questions went unanswered as he was pushed into the back of one of the police cruisers.

"So that's _The Judge._" Rossi murmured, more of a statement than a question.

"Yep. He goes by GOD, but his real name is Eric Champlain. He has some sort of weird God-complex. Totally unstable." Officer Mallark offered. The profilers nodded.

"And what was he saying about Scar being a traitor?" Reid asked.

"Champlain swears Scar was working with the Hohenhiem brothers. The guy's so angry about it, it's hard not to believe him." Officer Mallark said before walking away. There was a thoughtful pause.

"So... Scar wasn't their enemy?" Hotch frowned.

"Apparently. At least, not in the end." JJ. agreed. Reid glanced around.

"But... Where _are_ they?" He wondered. "They could not have gotten far."

"We'll canvas the area, after all, Scar still needs to pay for his crimes, enemy or not." Hotch said. They all nodded.

**Axiom's World- Two Weeks Later**

Reid sighed, staring at the picture of the Elric brothers. He had taken it the day before they had run off, and had had it framed. He had intended to give it to them, since they seemed to have no picture of their own. Now the thing sat in a smooth wooden ebony-coloured frame on his coffee table, a constant reminder of the mysterious golden eyed children (or was it wrong to call such wise people children?) who had disappeared the same way they had appeared – from and into thin air.

Reid looked at their matching gold eyes and frowned. Their eyes were ancient, full of hidden secrets and past pains he could never begin to image, nor did he want to image them.

He flipped the frame down, so the picture was pressed against the table.

It had been two weeks of searching, but the Elrics were gone. Reid doubted they would ever come back. He picked up the frame and walked purposefully out of his apartment and down the hall. He opened the door to the small room with the garbage chute in the wall. He paused, looking between the picture and the garbage chute.

He opened the shoot and dropped the frame in, letting it fall to it's fate. He then walked back to his apartment and walked into his room. He knelt beside his bed and pulled out a shoebox, carefully taking off the lid.

"Hello again." He murmured, shifting through the pictures in the box.. They were pictures of all the victims the BAU had saved since he had joined. He pulled the picture of the Elrics out of his pocket (where he had placed it after releasing it from the frame. He set the picture down on the top of the pile and stared at it for a moment before closing the box and sliding it back under his bed.

He sat there for a moment. For once his mind was peaceful. All the gears and cogs that usually spun around at a break-neck speed had stopped.

He sighed and got up, going to the kitchen to make himself a coffee. He knew he would never forget the Elric brothers. Edward's tough stubbornness and fiery protectiveness of his brother. Alphonse's gentle kindness and careful determination. They were a pair unlike any he had ever met.

'_Yes,_' He thought to himself, sipping his coffee. '_those two will not easily be forgotten._'

...

Edward, Alphonse and Scar were dropped on the ground in a tangle of limbs in front of Axiom. Truth stood a short distance away, on the edge of Axiom's black void. His own white abyss stretching behind him.

"Fullmetal, get off of me." Scar grunted. Scar was the unfortunate at the bottom of their dog-pile, with Edward sprawled on top of him and Alphonse's legs draped over them both.

"Sorry." Edward muttered, rolling off of Scar after Alphonse scrambled off of them. Scar stood up and dusted off his jacket.

"Does this mean we get to go home?" Alphonse asked hopefully, looking between Axiom and Truth.

"Well..." Axiom began, frowning.

"I'm afraid only one of you are coming back to my world today." Truth interrupted. All three humans looked shocked.

"Well?" Edward asked, crossing his arms and glaring between the two Gods. "Who's going back?"

"Scar will be coming back." Truth said, although it didn't look overly happy about it. A large gate appeared behind Truth. "Whenever you're ready."

"Looks like our truce ends here, Fullmetal." Scar said, holding out his hand to Edward, who shook it firmly.

"Looks like it." He agreed, grimly. Scar nodded and turned to shake Alphonse's hand. He then walked over to the edge of Axiom's void and stepped into Truth's white expanse.

"Good luck, Fullmetal." He called back. Edward and Alphonse both gave him a slight wave. Truth led him over to the gate, which opened and said something to Scar that the Elrics couldn't hear. Black hands stretched out of the gate to grasp Scar, pulling him into the gate, which shut firmly behind him.

"And what about us?" Edward asked, turning back to Axiom.

"I have other plans for you." Axiom said, grinning.

"But you said that-" Alphonse began, his eyes wide.

"I lied. I still need you, and Truth was nice enough to comply." Axiom cut in. Both Elrics made noises of protest. "Don't worry. You are not going unaided. In fact, I believe that rest of your team is arriving now." Axiom said, turning to look at Truth, who was standing in front of two new gates, which were beginning to open.

"Who...?" Edward trailed off, frowning. Axiom grinned.

"You'll see."

...

The blond woman sighed, carrying another stack of paperwork through Central Command. She stopped in front of a door and shifted the paperwork so it was balanced on one arm and walked in without knocking.

"Hawkeye, if you have more paperwork, just leave." The man at the desk growled. Riza could only see his messy black hair over the paperwork already piled on his desk.

"Sorry, Sir. But if you don't keep up with it, it will only continue to build up." She said bluntly, dumping the papers in her arms on the only bit of empty space left on the desk, right under her commanding officer's nose. Roy Mustang glared up at her, seeming to regret waking up that morning. Dark circles rested under his black eyes.

"You'll be the death of me, Hawkeye." He grumbled, picking through the paperwork. Riza rolled her brown eyes.

"Any word of the Elric brothers?" She asked. Roy paused, his expression didn't change, but Riza knew him well enough to see the concern in his eyes.

"No. No one has seen or heard from them for a week now." He replied. Riza nodded.

"I'm sure they will turn up, Sir." She said calmly, offering him one of her rare smiles.

"Thanks, Hawke-" Roy stopped talking as an eye opened up below the two military officials and black and white hands popped out, pulling at them. Riza pulled out a gun and shot at the hands, but it had no affect. Soon enough the hands seized them and dragged them through the eye.

"Colonel!"

...

Roy was the first to topple out of his gate in Truth's abyss, landing hard on his back. Riza tumbled out of her gate a few moments later, landing heavily on top of him.

"What the hell is the Colonel Bastard doing here?" Edward exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Roy as Riza helped him up.

"Hey, it's Fullmetal. And here I thought you had drowned in a puddle." Roy smirked, brushing off his uniform.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TINY HE COULD CHOKE ON A GRAIN OF SAND?" Edward exploded. Roy rolled his eyes and looked at Truth.

"So, what's going on?" He asked. Truth lead Roy and Riza over to Axiom's black void before answering.

"You're going to help the Elrics on a quest. You finish it; you can all go back to Amestris safe and sound. Sound like a fair trade?" Truth said. Edward bristled.

"I'M NOT WORKING WITH THAT BASTARD!" He yelled. Roy laughed.

"Well, if Ed's against it, I'm in." He smirked. Riza nodded.

"If the Colonel's in, I'm in." She agreed. Alphonse smiled.

"Well, we don't have much choice. Do we, Ed?" He asked. Edward huffed and crossed his arms, turning to look away from the others.

"Fine. What's our 'quest'?" He asked, sullenly. Axiom smirked.

"Basically the same as the last. You'll be helping rid my world of a few choice killers, and then you'll be free to go back. Simple enough, right?" Axiom sneered. Edward growled.

"Nothing is simple with you." He shot a glare between Axiom and Truth. "_Either_ of you. What's the catch?"

"No catch. You'll keep your immortality in my world and when you go back to your world, Alphonse will be allowed to keep his body. Equivalent Exchange and all that." Axiom replied. Edward eyed him warily.

"... Al gets to keep his body?" He asked slowly. Axiom and Truth both nodded. "You've got a deal."

"What about Ed's limbs?" Alphonse spoke up. Truth and Axiom exchanged a glance. Truth shrugged.

"... Perhaps..." Truth said, hesitantly.

"Depends on how well you do." Axiom added. Alphonse nodded, shooting a quick glance at Edward.

"Just tell us what we have to do." He said. Axiom smiled.

"You're so much more amiable than your brother." Axiom chuckled.

"Got that right." Roy said drily. Riza, who stood dutifully at his shoulder, rolled her eyes. Edward's glare flickered between them.

"I'm right here." He deadpanned. Axiom's smile grew.

"So, what do Hawkeye and I get in return for this 'quest'?" Roy asked suddenly. Axiom and Truth nodded approvingly at the Colonel.

"I expected you to ask that... In the end, you'll gain that which you'll need." Truth said cryptically. Roy exchanged a glance with Riza.

"What do you mean?" Riza asked.

"I mean, that something is happening in Amestris, and that you'll be at a great advantage if you accept Axiom's task." Truth stated bluntly. Roy nodded.

"Alright." He said carefully.

"Excellent. You know your task, it's time for you to go." Axiom replied. A familiar large eyes opened up below the Amestrians and white hands flew out, wrapping themselves around the humans.

"Wait! Where are we going? Who are we supposed to get rid of?" Edward yelled, tugging some of the hands off of him. Axiom and Truth exchanged an amused glance. Edward had been dragged left and right by those hands more times than anyone they could think of, and yet he still thought he could resist their grip. How foolishly stubborn humans could be.

"You'll see, in due time. Goodbye." Axiom said, waving.

"And good luck!" Truth called as they were pulled through the eye.

...

Truth sighed and opened up two more gates. The gates were black and decayed. Rotten and cracked. "You ready, Axiom?" Truth asked, glancing back at his black counter-part.

"Bring it, Truth." Axiom leered. Truth rolled his eyes as the gates creaked open. Truth sucked in a breath and put a tight-lipped smile on it's face as two beings, neither human nor God, tumbled out in front of him.

"Welcome... Homunculi." Truth sneered the name, feeling it leave a bitter taste on it's tongue. "You two are going to be going on a little trip."

**And that's it. As all authors do, I leave you with a cliffhanger (kind of). **

**ALSO IMPORTANT: By the way, I seriously have no idea what world I'm putting them in (Death Note, Black Butler, Criminal Minds, some other crime show... I don't know), so I will not start the sequel until I have at least ten votes on the aforementioned poll and there is a clear winner (although, I do have final say, so if I don't think the winner will work, I will choose the one with the second most votes).**

**And that's basically it. Please review, I was so happy (and slightly surprised) at the amount of reviews last chapter got. :)**

**So, for the final time for Ensnared... **

**Good Bye, my lovely readers.**

**-Hazeljv.**


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